The Fate of Destiny
by CocaColaWriter123
Summary: What if Fili and Kili had a sister? What if Thorin ended up having to care for three dwarves and he has to take them all on the quest and it changes everything? NO SLASH OR INCEST Rated T because I'm paranoid. Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit.
1. Prologue

**HAI GUYS! So, recently I've fallen in love with the Hobbit, and my friends and I absolutely love Fili and Kili, so we got together and decided to write a story. We're really excited about this and I hope you guys like the story. FYI this is a group written story, I'm just the only one that has a fan fiction account. Anyway I hope you guys like it!**

Thorin Oakenshield paced nervously outside his sister's room. He looked to the side to see his friend, Blain, sitting in a chair next to the door, staring anxiously at the wall.

"Two months early, Thorin. Two months early. This isn't good."

"I know, Kili was only a couple weeks early and he was already so small. I just- I don't know what to think."

"This is my fault, Thorin. If I hadn't-"

"Don't say that. This isn't anyone's fault."

Despite Thorin's advice, Blain remembered everything that had happened in the past few hours.

_"Blain, we need to pick a name for the baby, and I think Kai is a good idea!"_

_"__Kai, Dis? Why Kai? I thought we would name the baby after someone in the family."_

_"__Well, I like Kai. I like the way it sounds."_

_"__What if it's a girl Dis? What do we do then?"_

Blain shook the thoughts from his head. Light footsteps cause both to look up. In front of them were two young dwarves with excited expressions on the faces.

"Papa, is our baby brother here yet?" Fili asked with wide eyes.

Blain forced a smile and lifted his sons onto his lap.

"No, Fili, the baby is not here yet, and remember, it may not be a boy. You could end up with a little sister instead."

Fili's shoulders slumped and he stuck out his bottom lip in a pout.

"But I don't _want _a baby sister! I want a baby brother!"

"Yeah! I wanna brother too! So we can play with him!"

"Well what's wrong with a baby sister? Can't you play with a baby sister too?"

Kili copied his brother and pouted.

"No. They like dollies and they're prissy. They don't like playing like me and Fili do."

"Well that may not be true, your little sister may like playing the way you and Fili do, you should give the baby a chance."

The boys nodded.

"But it _could_ be a boy, right papa?"

"Yes, Kili, you could end up with either a baby brother or sister."

Suddenly a cry rang through the house followed by utter silence. Thorin glanced at Blain nervously when the door opened. There stood a solemn Oin with a tiny bundle in his arms.

"Blain, I'm sorry, she- She's just so small. She will hopefully live, but it's going to be very difficult."

Blain stared at Oin blankly. His daughter, his newborn daughter may not even live? Oin held the blankets out to Blain and he took them carefully, as if she might fall apart in his hands. Her eyes were closed, and she was still. Blain had one moment of hope, seeing his daughter peaceful in his arms when Oin spoke again.

"Blain, you- you should come inside. It's Dis, she's-"

Without further information, Blain strode into the room, careful of the bundle in his arms. Dis lay in her bed, taking shallow breaths. Blain turned to Oin who sighed.

"Blain, I'm sorry. I can't do anything, I'm sorry…"

"Blain... love… come here." Dis called quietly from the bed.

The dwarf did as she asked and kneeled down next to her.

"Blain, love, I'm sorry… watch Fili and Kili for me."

He nodded, holding her hand.

"And… Blain please, do whatever you can… please don't let her go. Protect her. Keep her safe."

"Dis, love, I'm so sorry about earlier… I didn't mean-"

"Hush now." Dis whispered. "It's alright. Take care of her Blain. And the boys too."

"I will, Dis, I promise."

Dis smiled weakly.

"I love you." She pushed the words out of her mouth as the life faded from her eyes.

Blain choked as tears ran down his face.

"I love you too."

The tiny bundle that shifted in his arms brought Blain out of his thoughts. Looking down at the small face, he remembered the promise he'd made moments ago. Tears still in his eyes, he turned to Oin.

"Oin please, tell me. What do I have to do? I'll do anything."

Oin sighed.

"Blain, It's not that easy. She's just so small. It's going to be hard-"

"I don't care. I promised Dis I would take care of her, and I intend on keeping that promise."

Oin nodded and left the room, passing the two young brothers as he did.

"Papa, is that the baby?"

"Yes, Kili, you have a baby sister."

Kili looked at Fili who walked forward to Blain.

"She's so little, papa. How will we be able to play with her?"

"You'll have to wait for a while before you play with her."

"Papa?"

"Yes, Kili?"

"Why were you crying?"

Blain sighed, how was he going to tell them this?

"Fili, Kili, boys come here."

The two did as they were told.

"Boys, your mama, is… boys, mama left."

"No she didn't papa, she's right there."

"No, Kili she's not."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that…."

He paused, not knowing how to tell them that their mother had just died giving birth to a baby sister they didn't even want. How to tell them that their mother will never tuck them into bed again. Will never tell them how much she loves them. They will never hear the stories of her childhood that they were too young to hear at the time. But he must try. He must explain all this to them. Maybe not all at once but one day they will know that their mother believed that her daughter was worth more than her own life.

"Fili, Kili, do you remember when I told you that we all have spirits and that when we die those spirits leave our bodies?"

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"Well your mother's spirit has…. gone on…. and she won't be back for a while."

They stood in silence for a moment then Fili asked, "Are you saying Mama is dead?"

Blain sighed, here it goes. "Yes, Fili. Your mama is-" He choked again, and looked at his sweet wife laying motionless in the bed.

"Mama is dead."

Kili and Fili looked at each other, not quite understanding the impact of what their father had said. Slowly, they put it together and started tearing up. They grabbed their father and sobbed into his shoulders. Kili on his left and Fili on his right. Kili looked into his fathers eyes and Blain saw the sadness in them and he knew that this would forever impact the way they lived their lives. He figured that they might hate their new sister because of what she had caused but he was mistaken. They quietly asked if they could see their new baby sister. He agreed and saw the love in their eyes. He saw that Kili especially seemed to adore her and he was relieved that they didn't seem to be angry with her. He hoped with all his heart it would stay that way and that they would love her even as much as they would have if it were a brother.

"She's so little papa."

"Yes, Kili. She is very little, so you must be careful. You won't be able to play with her just yet.

"When can we? I wanna play with her now!"

"Not yet, Kili, not yet. When she gets a little bit older you can but not yet."

Blain sat there cradling his little girl in his arms while his sons fell asleep on his shoulders. he slowly got up and took one of the blankets and put it on top of the boys. They latched their hands onto it as they lay there. He took his daughter to the crib that Bofur had made for her. He gently laid her inside it and stepped back and just stood there, staring at his beautiful daughter. As he stood there a small smile spread across her face.

Now that all his children were all fast asleep, he allowed the tears to fall. He barely made it out of the room before he crumpled to the floor, sobbing. How was he supposed to go on without the love of his life? He sat there, shaking as he thought about how horrible his world would be now. He stared at the wood he sat on, when suddenly two brown boots stood in his vision.

"Blain, I-"

Blain looked up, seeing his best friend with tears in his eyes as well. He knew.

Standing on his shaky legs, Blain put his hand on Thorin's shoulder.

"Thorin, I'm sorry. She- She was your sister, and- I'm so sorry."

"Blain, yes, of course I'm upset that Dis is gone, but I worry about the boys. Are they alright?"

"For the most part; they were upset at first, but when they saw the baby, they just fell in love with her."

"Good, I'd rather them focus on the new baby than the death of their own mother."

"I suppose we should start working on the burial details soon." Blain said as he choked back another sob.

"Yes, but one thing first...,"

"And what is that?"

"What is the child's name?"

Blain peered behind him into the room at his precious daughter.

"Kaia. Her name is Kaia."

**YAAAAAAY so I hope you guys like this story, idk how often we'll be updating, hopefully at least once a week. R&R!**


	2. Faster

**HEEEEEEEEEY. So thanks a ton for all the likes, follows, and reviews. We LOVE them! Really hope you guys like this chapter. It's mainly a bunch of fluff. Fyi This is written as if Fili were 12, Kili 9, and Kaia 4 IN HUMAN YEARS. If any of y'all can tell me the equivalent of dwarf years to human years then great, otherwise please do not come yelling at me for improper age stuff.  
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><p>Blain smiled as he watched his two sons chase each other around the tall grass. The pair were very close, and although they had their fights, they were always there for each other in the end. A small squeeze on his hand caused him to look down. Looking up at him was his three year old daughter, her big ice blue eyes staring up at him.<p>

"Yes, Kaia, what is it, dear?"

"Where are we going?"

Blain looked up again as they continued walking.

"Out for a picnic, we'll go have some lunch, and play and just have fun today."

Kaia nodded and looked ahead again as they slowly moved their way through the fields. Blain looked down at his daughter again. He smiled as he admired her perfect brown- blonde hair. It was something he'd never seen before, a mix of blonde hair and dark brown, but it was amazing, and beautiful.

Finally they reached a tall oak tree and Blain put down the basket and blanket he'd brought along for the day. Kaia immediately sat down and pulled her doll out of the basket, while Kili and Fili continued to run about. Blain sat down and pulled Kaia into his lap, earning a squeal of laughter from his daughter.

He sat with Kaia in his lap, as she happily played with her doll. Blain's thoughts pulled him from his daughter's laughter. Nearly three years ago, he lost his wife. Now he had his daughter, so precious and so much like her mother. He looked back at his daughter, who was still prancing her doll across the blanket. Kaia suddenly looked up at her brothers. Turning to her father, she asked,

"Papa, can I play wif Fee and Kee?"

Blain nodded and allowed his daughter to jump up and run over to her brothers. He watched them talk for a few moments, and sat back against the tree.

"Fee, I wanna race." Kil said

"Alright, how about you , Kai?"

"Yes! Race! Race! Race!" Kaia jumped up and down.

"So we'll go from here to that tall tree over by the puddles. Ready? GO!"

Kaia started off strong. She was just behind Kili and Fili who were neck and neck. They started gaining. Soon, she was left in the dust. When she finally got to the tree, the boys were arguing about who won. Fili yelled,

"I WON!"

"NO! I DID!" replied Kili.

Kaia piped up and said, "No fair! You left me! Im just a girl!"

They both turned and looked at her.

"That doesn't matter, Kai. You can be as fast as me and Fee if you want."

"I can?"

Fili laughed.

"Of course! Kai, don't think you aren't fast or strong just because you're a girl! You can do whatever you want! As long as what you're trying to do really matters, and you really care about it, you can do it."

Kaia nodded and smiled.

"Again!"

Her brothers laughed, but agreed.

For the next few hours, the three siblings chased each other back and forth, Kaia trying to maker her little legs move faster, but she always came behind her brothers.

"Fee, I thought I gonna be faster now!" She pouted.

"Kai, it won't happen in a day, you have to try every day to get faster."

"Oh."

"Fili, Kili, Kaia! Come on, we have a whole basket of food to eat!" Blain yelled, holding up the basket of good

The three giggled and ran back to the blanket, sitting down to eat . Kaia stood up. Blain asked,

"Where are you going?"

"I wanna try to be faster so i can pway wif Fee and Kee."

"Well you need to finish your food first."

"Okay."

She sat back down. She started eating as fast as she could. Right when she was done, she got up and started running, leaving her family still eating. She practiced the same route from the start to the tree over and over again.

When Fili and Kili finished they got up and went over to her. She was still running.

"Kai!"

Their little sister looked up at the sound of her name.

"Kai, you have to take a break, you won't get faster by running all day."

Kai sighed and nodded, and followed her brother's back to the tree. For the rest of the day, they played, laughing and having fun. When the sun finally began to set, the family was walking back home, Kaia and Kili asleep in their father's arms, Fili walking next to him, carrying the now empty basket.

They finally reached the house, and Fili pushed the door open. Blain quickly put his two youngest to bed, Fili following, and soon they were all fast asleep. Blain smiled to himself, knowing that he would always do anything he could to protect his treasures.

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><p><strong>YAY lots of fluff. Expect the next chapter pretty soon. LOVE YA R&amp;R<br>**


	3. Their Father

**HELLO! Sorry about taking a while to update, we're actually a few chapters ahead, we just never proofread this chapter till yesterday, and I was crazy busy then. Anyway, I really like this chapter and I hope you do too. ***SPOILER ALERT*** You may want to get some tissues out for this chapter.**

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><p>Kaia happily ran through the forest with her brothers. Although she was still young, she enjoyed playing with her big brothers every day. The three were racing from a far off tree back to the house, and true to her brothers' words, she'd become faster. Not by much, but nonetheless, she was quicker on her feet. Fili got there first, quickly followed by Kili, then Kaia. Panting, Fili grinned.<p>

"See Kai? I told you you would get faster!"

"I'm still not fast as you." She pouted

Kili ruffled his sister's hair.

"You'll get even faster, don't worry, Kai."

Kaia nodded, and suddenly smiled and ran forward.

"Uncle Thowin! Uncle Thowin!"

Her brothers quickly followed, all three tackling the dwarf. Thorin laughed as he fell to the ground, his nephews and niece squealing with laughter.

"And where have you three been?"

"Playin." Kaia giggled.

Thorin grunted as he stood up, Kaia holding onto his shoulders, Kili holding on to one foot and Fili swinging on one of his arms. He hobbled it to the door where Blain opened it, and seeing his poor friend being tackled by his children, pulled Kaia off his back, and Fili off his arm.

"Well, Thorin, I see the children gave you a warm welcome."

Kili laughed and stood up.

"Yes, well Blain, I'm afraid I'm not here for a simple visit."Thorin said, his smile fading.

"I need to talk to you, quickly."

Blain realized his friend's urgency and nodded, putting Kaia down.

"Why don't you three go play? Mister Bofur came by today and left some new toys in your rooms."

The three nodded and ran off to Kili and Fili's room, oblivious to the tension between the two adults. Turning back to Thorin, Blain frowned.

"Thorin, what is it? Is everything alright?"

Thorin shook his head, looking down "I wish I could say that, but no. Orcs have been spotted not far from the town."

Blain went wide eyed, knowing that he had to protect his children at all costs.

"How much time do we have?"

As if on cue, a shout rang outside. Thorin threw the door open, and looked around, seeing orcs already in his town.

"Blain, get the children, we need to get them out of here. Now."

He quickly ran back to the room, returning with Kaia in his arms, Fili and Kili on either side of him.

"Papa, whas wong?" Kaia's innocent voice peeped.

"It's alright, Kaia, we're just going to-"

An orc suddenly appeared in the doorway, earning a scream from Kaia. In one swift motion, Blain put his daughter down, pushing her behind him as he pulled out his sword. He quickly killed the beast, but soon his house was surrounded by the filthy creatures. Thorin and Blain took on each orc, willing to do anything to protect the children.

"Fili! Kili! Take Kaia and hide! Quickly!" Blain yelled, as he killed another orc.

"But papa-"

"NOW!" He shouted, as his children quickly did as they were told and ran to the farthest room, hiding behind the bed. Although tears ran down her face, Kaia was quiet, tucked between her brothers. But then the door opened with a growl and Kaia screamed.

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><p><strong>If you're a crying type, pull out your tissues now...<strong>

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><p>Somehow, Blain and Thorin had managed to fight off the orcs near the house, with very few injuries.<p>

"Quickly, we need to ge-"

"PAPA!" Blain and Thorin whipped around, seeing the two boys running for their father, as he knelt down.

"Boys, what is it? Where's your sister?"

"Papa, an orc came… He took her PAPA PLEASE!" Kili sobbed.

Suddenly another figure appeared in the doorway

"Thorin, thank Mahal you're alright."

"Don't say that yet, Dwalin, an orc took Kaia an-"

Suddenly a scream caused all heads to turn, seeing little Kaia being carried off by an orc. Blain took off after the creature, Thorin unsure of whether to stay or follow.

"Go, Thorin, I'll stay with the boys." Dwalin said, kneeling down and putting his arms around the small dwarfs.

He nodded and quickly sprinted after his friend, who was well ahead now. Thorin finally caught up to him, on the edge of the woods, and he quickly killed the orc that held Kaia, then took her, ready to run. As he turned, he saw another group of orcs, and realized he wouldn't be able to get out without Kaia or himself being injured. Unsure of what else he could do, he sat his niece down and began fighting off several orcs, with Kaia behind him, sobbing. Blain ran forward, taking out several orcs. The same routine followed, the pair turning left and right, killing several orcs at a time. When they only had one left, it was a challenge, and finally Thorin heard the sword slide into the orc. He nearly smiled, until he realized it wasn't just the orc that was finished. Blain was on his knees, his breathing shallow. Thorin fell to his knees next to him.

"Thorin, take care of my children." Was the only thing he said before he fell, tears springing into Thorin's eyes. Kaia's cries became louder, as she was lifted from the ground as her uncle carried her to safety. She continually yelled for her father, as she looked back, seeing the destruction the orcs had caused to her town.

"PAPA!" She cried one last time, before sobbing into Thorin's shoulder.

Thorin saw a group of dwarves, and he rushed to meet them. The battle was over. The orcs were gone.

Thorin slowly walked back to the house, preparing himself for the same thing that happened four years ago. When he came near, the door was still open, and seeing their little sister, Kili and Fili jumped up and ran to their uncle.

"Kai!" They yelled, Thorin shaking his head to Dwalin, who knew what it meant.

"Uncle? Where is Papa?" Kili asked, noticing his father's absence.

Thorin gulped. How could he say this? Blain knew how to explain it to his children, but Thorin didn't know how to tell them without being blunt.

"Boys, papa is… um, papa went with mama."

"Oh." was Kili's innocent response.

Meanwhile Fili stood in silence, mouth gaping, staring at the floor, unable to take in that his father wouldn't be coming home. Thorin did his best to comfort them as they cried, as he thought about what would happen now. Nearly an hour later, he placed the sleeping children into Fili and Kili's room, as Kaia's had been obliterated due to the raid. Dwalin had left, and now Thorin was at the house by himself. A tear ran down his face as he watched the children sleep, and he made a decision. Their parents may be gone, but he knew they weren't going to be by themselves. They would never be alone. He would be their father now.

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><p><strong>Sooooo yeah. Sorry not sorry. I'll hopefully have the next chapter up really soon. I hope you guys like it! R&amp;R! Love ya!<strong>


	4. The journey begins

**_Hey guys, thanks a ton for replying to my author's note, it helped a lot. Really sorry to suddenly do this, but it is now in dwarf years. I may go back and change it, but we'll see how it goes. Anyway, I used the ages Fili and Kili were apparently in the movie. and then using the help from u guys, I came up with an age for Kaia. Anyway,I hope you like this chapter!_**

**_Time skip: Fili is 85, Kili is 77, and Kaia is 72_**

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><p>Kaia smiled as she spun around, throwing knife after knife at the targets in front of her. Ever since she started training, she relied mainly on throwing knifes. They were the easiest weapon for her, she could easily throw them a very far distance, even farther fan Kili could hit with his bow. Each knife made a satisfying thud as it hit the targets dead center.<p>

She turned to see Kili with one arm pulled back, aiming an arrow at his target. She was often dumbfounded at how fast her brother could whip an arrow into place and hit his target.

Fili on the opposite side, was pushing two swords through the air, one in each hand. He used intense strength when he used his dual swords, and it amazed Kaia.

She returned to her own training, retrieving her knifes when she'd used every one. When she came forward to pick up her knifes again, she noticed that she no longer heard the sound of Kili's bow releasing arrow after arrow, or Fili's swords flying through the air.

Just before she was about to turn around, Kili slammed into her full force, laughing. He pinned her to the ground, triumphant, until Fili tackled him to the ground. The three were soon throwing punches, fighting back and forth, laughing all the while.

As the sky grew dark, they finally decided they needed to head inside. Kaia picked up her knifes, Fili his swords, and Kili his arrows. As they walked inside, laughing, they were greeted by three bowls of mutton stew on the table. Each of them sighed in relief and, throwing down their weapons, took a bowl of stew. They walked across the room, finding Thorin by the fire.

"You should have been back a half hour ago."

The three looked at each other, trying to come up with an explanation.

"We're sorry uncle, we were busy training and we hadn't realized how late it was." Kili said

Thorin sighed "Hm."

"Kili, Fili, Kaia, come sit." He said, gesturing to the chairs in the room.

They nodded and did as they were told. He sat across from them, a softer look in his eyes.

"Now, you all know about the stories I told you as children, stories of dragons and the home you should have had."

"Erebor." Kaia said under her breath.

"Yes, Erebor. As you know, those stories are true. And it is time for us to reclaim that mountain, and take back what is ours."

"Uncle, do you mean to say we are to take back Erebor?" Kili asked.

"Yes, Kili. We are going to take back Erebor."

Kaia suddenly noticed something and grinned "_We?_"

"Yes, all of us will go to Erebor. Your training has been far more advanced than I've seen in any dwarfs your age, and I have no doubt that you will protect each other."

The three siblings smiled with excitement, knowing they would soon reclaim their home.

"But, you must promise me that you will be careful, and understand, this quest is no game, you must take it seriously."

Each nodded, understanding their Uncle's wishes.

"Uncle, will anyone else be coming with us?"

"Yes, many dwarves you know will be coming with us on this quest."

The four continued to discuss the details of the adventure, and it soon went late into the night. Realizing this, Thorin sent his nephews and niece to bed, anxious about what was to come.

-Another time skip by5 days-

Kaia turned left and right, eyes searching for the house they were supposed to find. She and her brother's had been searching for the hobbit's home for hours, but they still hadn't found anything to point them in the right direction.

"We're going to be late at this rate." Kaia mumbled as she looked around again.

"Maybe we just didn't see it?" Kili suggested

"I doubt that, we've looked around this place five times and still haven't seen anything." Fili replied.

"Well there's no where we haven't looked and we can't just-"

"Found it!" Kaia shouted, pointing to a small home with a green door. She took off towards the house, Fili and Kili following behind her. Once they reached the home, Fili stepped up and knocked on the door. For a few moments, the three stood there, hearing nothing suddenly the door opened, revealing a rather irritated looking hobbit. Not noticing the annoyance on the Halfling's face, the three introduced themselves.

"Fili"

"Kili"

"Kaia"

"At your service." The three bowed in unison.

Kili stood up again with a smile,

"You must be Mister Boggins."

"Kili, I believe his name is Baggins…" Kaia muttered under her breath, but it wasn't noticed.

"Nope, you can't come in, you've come to the wrong house." The hobbit insisted, trying to close the door.

Kili quickly stepped in the way,

"Has it been canceled?" he asked

"No one told us," Fili added, turning is head.

"And when do we get told these sort of things, Fee?" Fili turned to his sister, but quickly was looking at the hobbit again as he shook his head.

"Canceled? No, nothings been canceled." He said, confused

"That's a relief." Kili smiled, pushing inside, Fili and Kaia following.

Kili explored the home, while Fili unloaded his knifes into the hands of the poor hobbit. Kaia instead wandered around, finding Balin and Dwalin in the pantry. Fili and Kili were soon there too, and they all began to set out food for the rest of the company. The doorbell rang again, this time, the hobbit was no longer polite as he rambled on, he walked to the door. He swung it open, and to his surprise, eight more dwarves fell inside, with a tall wizard dressed in grey robes behind them.

"Gandalf."

The wizard began to explain to the hobbit, meanwhile, the entire house was buzzing with laughter and singing from the dwarves, Kaia and her brothers more than any of them. The house suddenly quieted when there was a knock at the door. All heads turned to the door, as Gandalf stood and opened it, revealing Thorin Oakenshield.

Kaia's expression changed at the sight of her uncle, trying to seem serious so he would know how much she cared about this journey.

"Gandalf, I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I wouldn't have found it if it weren't for the mark on the door."

This caught the hobbit off guard, "Mark? There's no mark on that door. I had it painted a week ago."

"There is a mark on that door, I put it there."

The halfling looked even more upset now, however gandalf wasn't going to stop there. He introduced Bilbo to Thorin, as well as the entire company. Thorin began to ask the hobbit questions, about his fighting skills, weapon of choice… Eventually the company was seated at the table again, and they spoke about the great dragon that lived in their home. Bilbo was given the contract, and he had read almost halfway through when he fainted, and Kaia had to stifle a laugh. This hobbit was not fit for this type of journey, she knew it. It soon became even further into the night, and Thorin, leaned against the mantle, began to sing of their home, lost in fire. While she looked concerned and solemn, she felt rather peaceful. She always loved hearing Thorin sing, especially about Erebor. Unfortunately, that moment did not last. Eventually Bilbo went to bed, saying he would not be going on the journey with them. The company then took up their things and left, into the dark night.

-NEXT DAY-

The sun slowly rose up over the hills, shining on the dwarves as they continued on their way. They'd stopped at an inn once they left Bilbo's house, and now they were back on their ponies, in the woods. The company was laughing and talking as usual, waiting to see if their hobbit would come. Kaia and Fili had bet he wouldn't show up, while Kili was positive he would come, that he just needed time. Time proved to be exactly what Bilbo needed; suddenly they heard the voice behind them, slowly growing louder and louder.

"Wait!' Bilbo shouted. He hurried up to them, and after talking with Thoring and Gandalf for a while, he soon was sitting on a pony. The dwarves started tossing their money to each other, and Kaia grumbled as she threw her money at Kili. He laughed as he pocketed the small pouch as Kaia punched him in the shoulder. He laughed again, and despite her attempts to seem angry with him, she couldn't help it when her frown cracked into a smile and she looked down.

"Will it ever be possible to stay angry with you?" She asked.

"No, Kai, I don't think it will." Kili replied, smile still on his face.

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><p>As the sun began to set, it was decided that they should stop and set up camp. They found a place that seemed suitable, and they all began preparing for the night. Bombur soon made stew for everyone, and soon they were all sitting around a fire, laughing and talking about the journey. Fili, Kili and Kaia were in the middle of a conversation when Thorin knelt down next to them.<p>

"Fili, Kili, you two will take the watch tonight."

Fili and Kili nodded, but Kaia spoke up.

"Uncle, I thought I would watch with them tonight?" She asked, glancing at her brothers

"Kaia, you need your rest, you won't be able to fight as well if you're tired." Kili said.

"Kee, I can stay up for a few hours to watch the camp, besides, you two aren't even staying up the whole night."

Kili was about to protest but Thorin cut him off.

"Kaia is right, if she is going to take watch, I would rather it be with the two of you. Dwalin and I will switch out with you in a few hours." The three nodded as Thorin stood and set up his own bedroll.

An hour later, the three siblings were sitting around a fire, Kili's bow in his hand, Fili's sword drawn, and Kaia's hand on one of her knives. They continued to look around carefully, until Bilbo stood and walked over to one of the ponies. Kaia paid little attention to him, until there was a cry out in the darkness. Immediately frightened, Bilbo turned to the three.

"What was that?" He asked, pointing to the area where the noise came from.

Fili was about to brush it off, saying it was nothing, until Kili spoke for him.

"Orcs."

Both Fili and Kaia's heads turned to their brother. The pair understood what Kili was doing in just a moment, and they joined in.

"Throat cutters, there will be dozens of them by nightfall." Fili said.

"They strike," Kaia started "in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood." She whispered, fear in her eyes as she faced Bilbo. However, as soon she turned to her brothers, it seemed as though she could hardly contain her laughter.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin's low voice broke into their quiet chuckles.

"You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" Thorin asked, turning to the three.

"Need I remind you that an orc raid is the very thing that cost your father his life."

Kaia looked down, unwilling to face Thorin.

After a few moments of silence, Kili spoke up.

"We didn't mean anything by it." He said quietly.

Thorin walked past the three, and agreed. "No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world."

At this, Kaia stood in disbelief.

"Nothing? I know nothing of the world?"

Thorin turned again to face his niece.

"I've seen my father die in front of me, as a mere child. And that has taught me nothing?"

Thorin turned away again, Balin walking up behind Kaia.

"Don't mind him lass, you know better than anyone of the reasons Thorin has to hate orcs."

Balin began to retell the story of King Thror's death, and the horrible tale of Azog the Defiler. He continued on about Thrain's disappearance, and Thorin's bringing the orcs down. By the end of his tale, every dwarf was standing, in awe and honor of their leader. Thorin simply gave a ghost of a smile and nodded, signaling everyone to go back to sleep. As he saw his nephews and niece begin to set up to continue to watch, he walked over to them and knelt down.

"You needn't stay awake, Dwalin and I will take our watch now." He said somewhat softly, as Dwalin came over with his own weapons, ready to guard his fellow dwarves for the night. The three simply nodded and left to take out their own bedrolls. As Thorin watched his niece walk away, he felt like he should say something, but ignored it, and instead sat down next to Dwalin to face the cold night.

Kaia rummaged through her pack until she found her bedroll, and rolled it out on the ground. She looked around at the sleeping company before she laid down. She laid there for a while, and when she was just about to fall asleep, she felt something move on either side of her. She opened her eyes and turned to see Fili next to her, eyes closed. She turned back and saw Kili on her other side, also falling asleep. She smiled sleepily as she let her eyes fall shut and the world disappeared.

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><p><strong>So I hope you guys like that chapter. I'll try to have another chapter up by Monday. Love you guys! R&amp;R<strong>


	5. Trolls, orcs, and wargs

**Hey everybody! So, I'm really sorry about the late update. I got sick last weekend and it took me for ever to get over it. Anyway, I think this is a fairly long chapter, and hopefully I'll be updating very soon after this. I hope you guys like it!**

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><p>The sun slowly peeked over the mountain through the clouds, falling on the dwarves' campsite. Kaia slowly opened her eyes, facing the back of Kili's head. She smirked, as she heard his soft snoring. She suddenly became aware that he back was pressed against something, and turning slightly, she saw she had fallen asleep tucked against Fili. She finally snapped out of her sleepiness and sat up, looking around. Only Thorin, Balin and Bofur were awake aside from her. She stood and, after quickly packing her bedroll, she walked over to the other three dwarves.<p>

Looking up, Balin smiled "Ah, Kaia, g'mornin' lass. I trust you slept well."

Kaia smiled and nodded "Yes, Balin, I slept fine." Turning to Thorin, she asked, "Uncle, when are we planning to leave?"

Thorin glanced up and, seeing Kaia, he stood "As soon as possible. There is rain coming our way and I would like to avoid it as much as we can."

Kaia nodded and, seeing that most other dwarves were awake, she went to go get her brothers. She walked over to the pair and kicked Fili's foot.

"C'mon, you two have slept in long enough, we need to get going soon." She said. Suddenly she felt a drop on her head, then on her hand. She looked up, the clouds were darker now and it became obvious that they would not outrun the rain.

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><p>A few hours later, the company sat on their ponies, sheets of rain forcing down on them as they continued along their quest. Fili, Kili, and Kaia followed in the back, waiting for the merciless rain to end. Despite the dark purple hood she wore, Kaia was soaked, as well as her brothers. Kaia had really enjoyed rainy days at home, but now, when she had no choice but to carry on in the wretched rain, she preferred it be sunny. Unlike the day before, the dwarves stayed quiet, everyone slightly frustrated due to the rain. Nonetheless, they continued on throughout the day when the rain finally decided to let up. By then, Thorin had decided that they would set up camp and he began shouting out orders.<p>

"Fili, Kili, Kaia!"

Kaia turned when she heard her name.

"Look after the ponies, make sure you stay with them."

Kaia inwardly groaned but did as she was told and walked off with her brothers to keep watch over the ponies.

Kili glanced back at his uncle and, with a grunt, he muttered "At least it's not raining . . . that much."

Fili shrugged and smirked "Think of it this way, we don't have to bathe now."

"That's disgusting!" Kaia huffed.

"Eh, rain is nature's shower. Therefore, we are all are already clean." Fili replied, slinging his arm around the shoulders of his little sister.

Kaia pushed him away "Yea, no. Rain cleans the air, so all that junk that was in the air is now on your body."

"Technically on my clothes . . ."

"On you nonetheless! You still need to bathe if you like it or not, especially after taking care of the ponies."

"Why?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe the hair they shed, the dirt they stomp around in? If I didn't know any better I'd say you two would _love _to play in that."

Fili placed his finger on his chin for a moment "That's actually not a bad idea. Kili?"

"Not at all." Kili smirked.

Kaia stared at them "You two are hopeless."

"No seriously!" Fili smiled. "It would disguise our scent from any monsters out there, like Orcs and Wargs, which we are bound to run into!"

"Nope, not happening. You two can do what you like, but there is no way I'm rolling in pony dirt."

Kili smirked mischievously "We'll see about that."

Kaia rolled her eyes and led some of the ponies to the woods where they would be staying for the night

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><p>A few hours later, Kaia was walking through the paths, checking on the ponies, when she heard a noise. Turning quickly, she whipped out a knife, and slowly moved toward the sound. She was about to round a tree when a handful of dirt hit her from behind. Spinning around, she ducked, barely dodging another coming at her.<p>

"FILI! KILI!" She half laughed as she chased after her brothers, returning the favor. They must've run around for nearly an hour before they stopped, all three noticing a problem. Soon they all stood side by side when Bilbo came up, holding three bowls of stew out to them. Looking to each of their faces, he realized their concern.

"What's the matter?"

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies." Kili said.

"Only we've encountered a slight problem." Fili continued.

"We had sixteen…" Kaia said, staring at the ponies. "Now there's fourteen."

The four searched around, when Kili finally found which to ponies had disappeared.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing."

Bilbo laughed nervously. "Well that's not good."

They suddenly came across two uprooted trees.

"And that's not good at all, shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

"No, lets not worry him." Fili quickly said.

"As our official burglar, we thought you might want to look into it." Kili suggested.

"Well, uh," Bilbo motioned to the trees.

"It looks like something big, uprooted these trees." He said

"That was our thinking." Fili nodded.

"Something very big, and possibly quite dangerous." Bilbo muttered.

Suddenly Kaia looked up. "Hey, look, there's a light." She said, motioning for her brothers to follow.

"Come on." She said, and quietly took off towards the light. They all followed, hiding under branches. They watched as a troll carried two more ponies towards their camp.

"Trolls." Kaia grumbled under her breath.

"We have to do something." Bilbo whispered.

"Yes, you should." Kili quickly said.

Bilbo shook his head and insisted he not go, but Kili gently shoved him ahead, assuring him that it was safe. Moments later, the three were hiding, while watching as Bilbo attempted to free the ponies. Kaia was in a tree, kneeling on a branch, holding the trunk with one arm. Fili was at the bottom, looking up at Kaia, waiting to hear anything from her. Kili was a few feet away from the tree, peeking at the scene from between some bushes. Things seemed to be alright until one of the trolls picked up Bilbo from behind him.

"Fili! Go get Thorin! Bilbo's been caught!" Kaia whispered down to her brother. He immediately took off towards their camp to get the others, while Kaia quickly climbed down the tree. Hopping off of the last branch, she pulled out her sword.

"What are we going to do? We cannot wait for the others to get here or we may never see our burglar again!" Kaia said to her brother.

"I'm not sure; we need to do something, I just don't know what." Kili responded, his sword also in hand.

Kaia sighed "Follow me," She whispered, and they hid behind a tree, watching for a moment to come in. They continued to wait until they heard something about making the hobbit squeal when Kili lost it. He tore through the leaves, slashing at the troll with a cry. Kaia right behind him, she held her sword out defensively.

"DROP HIM!" Kili shouted, and Kaia was shocked at how harsh her brother sounded.

"You what?" The troll looked down at Kili.

"I said, drop him." Kili repeated.

The troll smirked, and threw Bilbo like a rag doll to Kili, causing him to fall. As soon as Bilbo was on the ground, twelve dwarves ran through the trees attacking the trolls with everything they had. Kaia nearly smiled as she spun around, her sword slicing into the trolls. She ducked, ran, turned whenever she needed, and she felt they might be winning when suddenly she heard the trolls yell.

"Set down your arms, or we'll rip his off!"

Kaia stared at her uncle, waiting for a response from him. She half expected Thorin to continue fighting, but instead, he threw his sword down in defeat. Frustrated, Kaia did the same as her uncle, shoving her sword as hard as she could to the ground. Then, without much hesitation, each dwarf was plucked from the ground and shoved in a sack. Kaia was soon laying in a heap next to a tree, watching the trolls attempt to cook her friends. She struggled against her bonds, but it was no use. She watched as Bilbo jumped up and tried to reason with the trolls, telling them nonsense about seasoning and smells. Kaia ignored the hobbit until one of the trolls picked up Bombur, dangling him over his mouth.

"NO Not that one! He's... he's got parasites!"

The trolls looked at Bilbo, confused. Despite the confusion, the troll threw Bombur back on the ground, landing on top of Kili.

"In fact they all have, they're _infested;_ I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't."

Kaia rolled her eyes as the others shouted at Bilbo when a sudden kick from Thorin silenced them. They all immediately agreed with Bilbo, nodding their heads and going along with the story. The trolls, however, were done with that story, and they probably would have eaten them all then and there if it hadn't been for the deep voice that silenced the trolls.

"The dawn will take you all!"

Kaia turned, seeing Gandalf, standing on a tall rock, his staff in hand. He suddenly raised it over his head, and slammed it down on the rock, causing it to crack and break in half. Kaia was nearly blinded by the sudden light, but she managed to see the trolls slowly stop moving and finally become still. Once she could see again, she saw the three trolls, now stone, as they all laughed at the sudden rescue.

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><p>Minutes later, Kaia and her brothers were free of their bonds, and exploring the now solid trolls. Kaia laughed and nudged her brother, looking up at the troll.<p>

"Look, Kili, I think that one looks like you!" Fili laughed while Kili simply punched his sister in the arm. She looked at him again, then back at the troll.

"You're right, I guess it is a bit of an insult to the troll, isn't it?"

Kili gave up, laughing along with his sister.

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><p>Once they were prepared and ready to go, Gandalf suggested they search for the cave the trolls had come from. It didn't take them long to find it in the woods. Once they had, the dwarves explored the cave, finding jewels and treasures. Kaia quickly lost interest, and waited for the others outside of the cave. Seeing a nearby puddle, she took a moment to look into it, seeing her reflection. Her brown and blonde hair was slightly past her shoulders, and was tangled beyond belief. She deeply wished she could rinse the grime off of her body soon. Eventually, the others emerged from the cave, Thorin bearing a new Elvish weapon. Seeing that is was of Elvish make, Kaia stopped Thorin.<p>

"Uncle…" She said, glaring at the blade.

"Gandalf believes it a fine sword. As much as I hate the elves, this sword is indeed a great blade, I do not have much of a choice." Thorin said to his niece. Kaia nodded, and remembering the troll incident, immediately felt guilty.

"Uncle… About the trolls, I'm sorry, we should've-"

"Kaia." Thorin cut her off. "I am not angry with you for the troll incident. It was no one's fault, and while you and your brothers could have been more careful, you eventually realized what you needed to do, and you fixed it." Thorin said rather gently.

Kaia nodded as her uncle walked over to the others. Suddenly a rustling in the trees caused alarm in each dwarf.

"Arm yourselves!" Gandalf shouted.

Kaia quickly pulled out several of her knives, holding a few between her fingers in each hand. She was tense and ready to attack when suddenly a short, stubby figure tore through the trees shouting.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!"

Kaia shifted, but did not put her knives down.

However, when Gandalf greeted the person as a friend, the dwarves relaxed.

Moments later, they were once again just as tense, when a warg suddenly burst through the trees. Kaia sunk too knives in it's head, killing it immediately. Bilbo looked frightened, while Thorin stared at the beast with disgust.

"Wargs... Which means there's an orc pack not far behind."

Kaia took this time to pry her knives out of the creature's skull, while Gandalf interrogated Thorin.

"Who did you tell about this quest, Beyond your Kin?"

"No one."

"Who did you tell?"

"No one! I swear!"

The dwarves soon realized they didn't have much time to argue over this. Soon, Radagast took off, trying to lead the Orc pack away from the company. They ran as fast as they could, sprinting towards wherever their wizard was taking them. After all the years of complaining about how slow she was, Kaia was now faster than her brothers, however, running for so long was taking its toll. She felt herself slowing and Fili noticed as well. She began to fall behind, only slightly, and Fili pulled her ahead from her pack. As the company continued to run, Fili kept his hand on his sisters back, pushing her ahead of him so she wouldn't be left behind.

Suddenly they stopped behind a bolder, and Kaia managed to catch her breath for a short moment. As quickly as they had stopped, they started again, running around rocks and bushes. Suddenly they stopped again, this timed hiding from a warg. Kaia had her hands on her knives, but she knew that it would be better to let Kili shoot it. He did just that, and when the warg fell, she then pulled out her sword, slicing into the creature's neck, silencing it. As the company continued on their way, they suddenly spotted a group of wargs ahead of them, and they suddenly halted, unknown to Kaia. She had been up next to Thorin, and when they stopped, she had kept running.

"Kaia no!"

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><p><strong>Oh man, I'm evil. OH well... Love u guys R&amp;R<br>**


	6. It's just a scratch

**Double chapter day! WEEEEEEH! Have fun..**

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><p><strong>Previou<strong>**_sly: _**_…__. they suddenly halted, unknown to Kaia. She had been up next to Thorin, and when they stopped, she had kept running._

_"__KAIA NO!"_

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><p>She heard Thorin shout as he grabbed her pack and pulled her back behind the rock. She was now standing as still as she could, her back to Thorin as he held her with his arm across her, as if to keep her from moving anymore. She waited until his arm relaxed and they were suddenly running again. They were being surrounded, and Gandalf was no longer with them. Kaia threw her knives as hard as she could at the beasts with one hand, while she had her sword in the other. Suddenly a force shoved her to the ground from the back. She was about to reach for her sword when she saw an orc arrow fly right where she had been standing. Confused, she tried to see what was on top of her when she heard a familiar voice.<p>

"Sorry, didn't mean to knock you over, but I couldn't let that scum hit you." She felt the weight quickly leave, and then she was pulled off the ground.

"Thanks, Fee." She said, pulling her knives back out again.

"This way you fools!" She heard Gandalf shout, but she ignored it, killing as many of the creatures as she could. She didn't stop until she heard Thorin shout,

"Kaia, Kili! Come on!" She turned, and after killing yet another, she ran towards the small opening in the ground that the others had gone into. By the time she made it to the cave, the orcs had gotten extremely close, and one was right on her heels. Realizing she didn't have much of an option, she pulled out her sword and quickly killed the beast.

"Kaia! Come on! Hurry!" Kili yelled, alarmed. She finally made it to the opening and Kili pushed her into the cave, causing her to fall. Fili helped her up after she was safely inside, as Thorin slid in after her. Moments later, they heard a horn, and suddenly an orc tumbled into the cave. Luckily, it was dead, and Thorin quickly realized how it had died. He pulled an arrow out of it's neck, and his face turned to disgust as he looked at the arrow.

"Elves." He threw the arrow down, turning back to Gandalf.

Meanwhile, Fili and Kili were busy fussing over their sister.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?"

"Fili, I'm alright, I'm not hurt. It's fine!" She said, exasperated. She moved to put the knives she had retrieved back in her pack, and suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her arm. She looked at her arm, and there it was, a cut that went across her upper arm. Fili immediately noticed the pain on his sister's face. He didn't see the cut, but he knew something was wrong.

"Kaia, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

Kaia quickly looked up and tried to hide the cut.

"I'm fine, it's nothing."

Kili looked at Kaia, not believing her.

"What's nothing?" He said, stepping forward. The red suddenly caught his eye, and before she could pull it away, he grabbed her arm and looked at it.

"Kaia, this isn't nothing. How did this happen?"

"I don't know." Kaia said, looking at the cut.

"Kaia…" Fili said, his eyes narrowing.

"I honestly don't! I didn't notice until we were in here."

Her brothers shared a look, and then Kili hurried away while Fili further inspected the cut.

"Fili, it will be fine, just leave it."

Fili however, ignored his sister's words, and gently looked at the wound. It wasn't too deep, but it was still bleeding, soaking her sleeve in red. The cut had gone through her sleeve, and was in the middle of her upper arm. Moments later, Thorin came over, led by Kili.

"Kaia, are you alright? What happened?" He asked, looking at her arm.

"I'm fine, uncle. It's just a cut." Kaia insisted.

Thorin looked at her unsure, but nodded.

"Alright, Fili, bind it as quickly as you can, we need to move."

Fili nodded, taking the cloth that Thorin held out to him. Kili had returned now, and helped Kaia roll her sleeve up so they could wrap the cut. Kaia hissed when a cold cloth came in contact with the wound.

"Sorry." Fili said, as he cleaned it as best he could. He quickly took the cloth and wrapped it around Kaia's arm. She stood, rolling her sleeve back down as she did.

"Where are we going?" Kaia asked as her uncle walked by.

"I'm not sure, Gandalf is leading us somewhere, let's go."

Kaia nodded, and followed the others, ignoring the sting in her arm. They finally made it out of the small space, into bright daylight, and Kaia saw something that made her nearly growl.

"The Valley of Imladris." Gandalf said proudly. "in the common tongue , it is known by another name.

"Rivendell." Bilbo said.

Kaia looked at the place with disgust. She'd never met elves, but her Uncle had told her much about them, and their unfaithfulness, so she had grown to have a hatred for the elves as much as her uncle did. She heard her uncle begin to argue with Gandalf, and she felt a hand on her arm. She turned, seeing Bofur.

"I see ya got yourself a cut there lass. You might ought to let Oin have a look at it."

Kaia smiled. "It's just a scratch, it'll be gone soon."

Bofur raised an eyebrow, and was about to reply when the others began walking again. He gave Kaia a look, and then continued on with the rest.

They walked down a small hill, and soon they were standing in front of Rivendell. Gandalf spoke with an elf for a moment, until a horn sounded behind them. They all turned, and seeing the elves coming towards them with armor, they all armed themselves, prepared for a fight. However, when Gandalf greeted one of the elves as a friend, they relaxed, but only slightly. Thorin, Gandalf and the elf conversed for a moment, and soon the elf turned to Thorin, speaking in a language that none of them could understand.

"What is he saying?" Gloin shouted. "Does he offer us insult?"

The others nodded, ready to fight once more.

"No, Master Gloin, he is offering you food." Gandalf said.

The dwarves muttered for a moment before Gloin replied.

"Well, in that case, lead on."

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><p>The company followed their host into Rivendell, willing to do anything to get a meal.<p>

Kaia followed behind her brothers, until they were inside the halls. Lord Elrond turned to the company.

"Assuming you have not had a chance to rest, I humbly offer you my home to stay for the time being."

Thorin turned aside to Gandalf, "I do not trust this elf, I would rather eat and be on our way."

"Thorin Oakenshield, you have much more to worry about than food. Need I remind you your niece is injured, and the elves could help her."

Thorin turned to see Kaia once again being hassled by her brothers, trying to make sure the wound was still bound tightly. Despite her pride, she did look as though she was in pain, and she even appeared slightly pale now. Kaia turned, seeing her Uncle and gave him a smile, but he could see the pain she was holding back.

"Alright." Thorin said, not turning to look at Gandalf.

Satisfied, Gandalf turned to Lord Elrond, speaking with him in Elvish. He nodded, and lead the Dwarves to a room to stay. Elrond stopped and turned to Kaia.

"I have been told you are injured. If you would allow it, I would be able to help."

Kaia was about to scoff, saying she didn't need his help, when Thorin stepped up behind her.

"Yes, my niece would very much appreciate if you would help her."

Elrond nodded. Kaia turned aside to Thorin.

"Uncle! Are you mad? The elves would not help us!"

"Kaia, Gandalf has promised me the ways the elves can heal. I do not appreciate being here, but if they can help your wound, I will allow it."

Kaia looked at her uncle, but nodded. She walked over to the elf, feeling rather odd.

"If you would like, you may wash before I heal it. It may help."

Kaia nodded, rather surprised at the elf's gentleness and kindness. He called an elf-maiden over, and after speaking with her in elvish, she turned to Kaia, with a kind smile.

"I can lead you to the bath houses if you wish."

Kaia nodded again, rather unable to speak.

The elf maiden led her from the room, as she turned, giving one last look at her Uncle before she left. The halls had many turns, but the maiden seemed to know exactly where she was going. Soon, they came across the bathhouses, and after leading Kaia inside, the maiden left and closed the first door, leaving Kaia staring at the room. The tub was already filled nearly to the brim with hot water, and the room was sparkling. There was a small separation from the door and the actual bath house, so Kaia left her clothes there and closed the door behind her. She slid into the water, mindful of her cut, and looked around again. She was happy to finally being able to wash the grime off of her body. She used the sweet smelling soaps all around her, and she couldn't believe she'd gone so long without a bath.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been in the tub, but she suddenly realized she had been quite a while. She quickly stood, stepping out of the tub. She dried herself off with a soft towel, and then reached for her clothes, groaning at the idea of putting her grimy clothes back on. Instead, when she opened the first door, she found her clothes clean, and neatly folded, with her boots sitting next to them, as good as new. Confused, she picked up the clothes, and looking at the sleeve, she saw that it had been sewn back together. Still shocked, she put the clothes on, as well as her boots. She combed her fingers through her wet hair, and quickly opened the door. Standing there was the elf-maiden, smiling and waiting patiently.

"You would like to see Lord Elrond now?" The asked.

"... Yes. Fine." Kaia followed the elf-maiden once more.

As they walked through the halls Kaia turned to the elf-maiden.

"Thank you… for mending my clothes."

Looking down at Kaia, she smiled.

"You are very welcome. What may I call you?"

Kaia flinched at the question for some reason.

"Kaia."

"That is a beautiful name."

"Thank you." Kaia said. The maiden nodded and Kaia asked

"And yours?"

"Arwen."

"Well, thank you Arwen."

Kaia suddenly became very aware of the pain in her arm, the warm water no longer there to dull the pain. She could've sworn she swayed on her feet, but Arwen pretended not to notice.

"I thought that all dwarves had beards, including dwarf-women."

Kaia felt her face turn red. Ever since she was little, she'd never had a beard. Fili of course did, and Kili at least had something on his face, but she never even had a single hair on her chin. Her brothers often told her that they thought she was the one dwarf that could pull it off, but it still bothered her.

"Most do, mine just never grew." She said shortly

"Oh." Arwen said gently, noticing Kaia's anger.

She opened a door, as Kaia assumed they were already at the healing rooms. Inside were several beds and tables, each table containing various flasks and bottles. Lord Elrond was busy at one, maneuvering certain things around. Kili and Fili were there as well, seemingly nervous, and speaking with Lord Elrond in a hurried manner. When they saw Kaia, they hurried over, no less nervous.

"Kai, are you alright? You look pale!" Kili exclaimed.

"I- I'm fine, Kee…" She insisted. Despite her words, she stumbled again, Kili just barely catching her.

Lord Elrond turned in concern, seeing Kaia wobbly on her feet now.

"I think it would be best to take care of the wound now." He said, walking over to her. He gently took her by her uninjured arm and led her to a bed. By now, Kaia was getting dizzy, and to her, it seemed like she blinked and she was suddenly laying down. Kili and Fili both stared at their sister with concern, as Lord Elrond began muttering a spell. She managed to look at both of her brothers before a white light began to take over her vision. She attempted to fight it, but a far off voice seemed to calm her, and soon all she saw was the blinding light, then nothing.

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><p><strong>Wow, I really feel truly evil right now... 2 cliffhangers in a row... XD Anyway, I'm really into this story right now, hopefully I'll be updating soon. Love y'all! R&amp;R <strong>


	7. Thunder battle

**Previously: **_a white light began to take over her vision. She attempted to fight it, but a far off voice seemed to calm her, and soon all she saw was the blinding light, then nothing._

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><p>Kili stared at his sister, terrified. When she didn't even open her eyes, he turned to Elrond.<p>

"Why isn't she waking? What have you done?" He shouted, enraged.

"Please, master dwarf. Her wound was slightly more severe than I had assumed. She will be alright, but she will probably not wake until morning." Elrond replied, rather calm.

Fili, saying nothing simply gazed at his sister, alarmed and afraid of what had happened. He slowly walked over to his sister, and let his hand brush across hers. It was still, and when he wrapped his hand around hers, it was cold and limp. He shuddered and was surprised when he saw a drop fall on her hand. Even more so when he realized it had come from him. Fili was not one to cry, but now, he didn't care. Seeing his sister so still and quiet was unlike her, and it was certainly something he had never seen before. Even when she slept, she always had a ghost of a smile on her lips, as she would lay curled up peacefully. But now, she laid flat out, her face emotionless.

Elrond noticed the brothers' distress and reassured them.

"She will heal, and by morning the cut should be gone. I am afraid it will scar, but she will be alright."

When neither of the brothers moved, he left, understanding their fear. As he left, he saw Thorin standing outside. He moved, allowing him to walk into the room. Seeing his niece unmoving on a bed, he rushed over, concerned.

"Kaia! Kaia, are you alright, Mahal, what has that elf done?!"

He looked at his niece, his hand hovering in her hair.

"He said…" Kili started… "He said she should wake in the morning, that the wound was worse than he thought."

Thorin growled.

"I knew it, I knew not to trust the judgment of an elf!"

"Thorin Oakenshield, you made a right decision in trusting 'that elf' as he has save your niece's life!" Gandalf said from the doorway.

"Look at what he's done. Does this seem like I've made the right decision to you?" Thorin shouted.

"My King," Elrond re-entered the room. "her injury was more severe than it had seemed. If she had not come to me sooner, it could have been even worse. I am truly sorry for your worries, but I assure you, she will be perfectly alright."

Despite the words of reassurance, Thorin still worried for his niece. But he had a quest to complete. If she was not well in the morning, then he would allow himself to be angry with the elf. He stooped down, gently kissing Kaia on her forehead, and stood again. He shared a solemn look with his nephews, and then turned to follow Gandalf and Elrond out of the room. Before he left, he looked back again.

"Lads, it would serve you well to eat. You can come back after dinner but you must keep yourselves fed."

"Uncle…" Fili said quietly. "With all due respect, I cannot find it in myself to leave her tonight. I will eat in the morning, but… I just cannot leave her…"

Kili nodded, as if to say the same thing.

Thorin gazed at the both of them and gave in.

"Very well… but do sleep. You both need it." And with that, he left his nephews next to their unconscious sister.

* * *

><p>It was nearly an hour later when the door opened again. Bofur came in quietly, seeing the two brothers on either side of their sister. When the door closed behind him, the pair looked up.<p>

"Relax, lads. I just brought you some food. Thorin said you two preferred to stay in here."

Kili nodded, turning back to his sister. Bofur looked from one to the other, and set the plates down on a table.

"So. Your uncle said she won't be waking till morning." He said gently, sitting down. "What happened?"

"She just, sort of fell when she came in. Would've hit the floor if I hadn't caught her." Kili said, his eyes never leaving his sister.

Bofur nodded, looking at Kaia. He could see why her brother's would be concerned about their sister. She was very still, and she was expressionless, even slightly pale.

"I'm sure she will be alright in the morning, if that is what Gandalf says. He is a trustworthy wizard; he hasn't given reason for us to not trust him yet." He said, attempting to sound cheerful.

When neither of the brothers said anything, Bofur stood.

"Right, well, I think I'll be on my way. Take care of yourselfs, lads."

He left without another word.

* * *

><p>Kili watched as the door shut behind Bofur, and then turned back to his sister. It was eerily quiet, and he looked up, seeing Fili looking at Kaia with a small smile. Fili noticed his brother saw his smile, and he spoke for the first time since she fell asleep.<p>

"I was thinking… do you remember the first time Kaia ever beat us in a race?"

Kili found himself smiling fondly at the memory.

"Ay, she was beside herself. Couldn't believe she'd beat us."

Fili nodded.

"And she told everyone about it for the next week." he laughed.

"Got right proper annoyed with her, I did. I didn't like losing to my sister."

"Didn't like losing to me either."

Kili eyed his brother with a slight smile.

"True."

Fili's eyes wandered over to the plates Bofur had brought in.

"I suppose we should eat…" He said.

Kili nodded. He stood, and picked up both plates. Handing one to his brother, he sat down and stared at the plate. It was covered in leaves and plants. He looked up at his brother, who looked as confused as he was.

"They call this food?"

* * *

><p>Kaia slowly became aware of her surroundings. It was quiet, and she was laying on something soft. She opened her eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight. Wait, sunlight? She felt like she'd only fallen asleep seconds ago. She closed her eyes again, and slowly turned her head to the side. She opened her eyes again, seeing both of her brothers there. They were both smiling, but slightly.<p>

"And have you been there all night?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"Only because of you." Fili said, grinning.

She laughed, and moved to sit up. As soon as she did, both of her brothers shot forward to help her. She looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing? I'm alright."

Despite her words, Kili helped her as she sat up. She looked at him, confused.

"Why are you treating me like I'm made of glass? I'm fine."

Fili stepped forward.

"You gave us quite a scare last night. We're just worried."

"Well, I'm alright now. You don't need to worry anymore."

Kili smiled and nodded, moving so she could stand. Kaia slid off the bed, landing on her feet. As she did the door opened, revealing Thorin. He quickly walked over to his niece and kneeled.

"Kaia, are you alright? How is your arm?"

She suddenly remembered the very reason she had been here. Kaia looked at her arm, pulling the sleeve up. The cut was entirely gone, leaving only a pink line where it had been.

"It doesn't even hurt."

Thorin nodded, standing.

"Then we must leave. The elves are trying to stop us, and Gandalf is delaying them as we speak."

Kaia nodded, following her uncle and her brothers out the door. As they met up with the others, Kaia smiled. They were all more than relieved to see that she was back on her feet, and anyone could see that. When Bofur saw her, he handed her her weapons that she had left in the room the day before.

"Thanks." She said, as she slid several of the knives into her boots where she kept some of them.

"Not a problem lass, let's get a move on." He said.

* * *

><p>They quickly left the gates of Rivendell, and they were soon back on the path they were on before. They continued on, following various pathways. Kaia followed behind Fili, with Kili behind her. They walked for hours, and Kaia thought her feet might fall off. She had finally managed to convince her brothers that she was alright, and they had finally stopped fussing over her.<p>

Soon the wretched rain that drenched them days ago returned, and Kaia nearly groaned. The first sheet of rain was like a warning, and Kaia quickly pulled her hood up. They were on a mountainside now, and Kaia found it difficult to keep her footing on the slippery rocks. Their hobbit, however, must've found it even more difficult. He lost his footing all together, and he nearly fell off the mountain. As Dori and Dwalin pulled him back, Thorin shouted.

"We must find shelter!"

Suddenly Dwalin yelled.

"Look out!"

Kaia looked up, squinting to see through the rain. She managed to make out a massive boulder flying towards the mountainside.

"Hold on!" Kili shouted.

"Kaia!" Filli yelled, trying to keep his sister on the mountain.

Rocks rained down on them, and Kaia covered her head trying to keep most of the stones away. She heard Balin say something, as he pointed to another mountain. Kaia was confused, until she heard 'stone giants'. She suddenly saw it, a figure made of rock was rising up from the mountain. She stared at the thing, it was bigger than anything she'd ever seen. She didn't have much time to, however as she felt the rocks begin to shift. She looked down, seeing a crack begin to form underneath her. She suddenly froze in fear, unable to move.

"KAIA!" She heard someone shout, as she felt herself being torn to the side. No longer petrified, she realized her brother had grabbed her. Fili now pushed her behind him, pushing her against the mountainside as he called to his brother.

"Kili! Come on! Take my hand!" She watched as Kili attempted to reach the same rock she was now on, but to no avail. She watched in horror as her brother was pulled farther and farther away from her, with the same expression on his own face. Suddenly the rocks shifted again, and it was all she could do to avoid falling again. Fili quickly stood in front of her, so she was now sandwiched between him and the mountain. She attempted to see Kili, trying to see what was happening to her brother. She didn't have much time to worry about it, as she felt yet an even greater shake on the rocks, and suddenly the rocks she stood on were falling. The rocks suddenly moved to the side, and as they did, she could see as they passed in front of her brother. She probably could've jumped from one rock to the next, if Fili had not been in front of her.

"NO!" She heard Fili shout as they suddenly flew towards another wall of rock. Kaia was terrified, positive there was no way out of this. Fili then moved out from in front of her, grabbing her pack, and shouting.

"KAIA! JUMP!" She felt herself pushed forward, and they barely missed the colliding rocks as they landed safely on solid ground.

She laid there for a moment, gathering her bearings until she felt herself being pulled off the ground. Suddenly Fili was in front of her, his mouth moving but she couldn't make out what he was saying. He pulled her along, into a cave, where she could finally hear him.

"... you alright?"

"Fili, I'm fine!" She said, exasperated.

Kili finally ran up to his siblings, grabbing Kaia in a hug.

"Oh, thank Mahal you're alright." He said, gasping.

"Of course I'm alright! When will you two stop worrying."

"You're shaking." Kili said.

"Well of course I am!" She shouted. "It's freezing!"

"Might want to get used to that, lass. Thorin says no fire tonight." Dwalin said

"No fire?" Fili asked.

"Aye, we don't want to give ourselves away. Now get some rest."

Kaia sighed; it would be a long cold night.

* * *

><p>Later on, she was getting ready to sleep. She didn't bother putting out her bedroll, as it was soaked. She laid down on the cold floor, pulling her cloak tighter around her. Once again, her brothers laid on either side of her, and she wasn't sure how long it was until she finally fell asleep.<p>

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><p><strong>Yay, more chapters! I hope you liked it. R&amp;R<br>**


	8. Goblin Town

**HULLO Wow, I'm really sorry it took us so long for this chapter lol. anyway, I'm really excited for this one... you'll see why soon.**

* * *

><p>Kaia woke to a sudden shout.<p>

"Wake up! Wake up!"

She barely had time to register what was happening when she suddenly heard the alarm in everyone's voices. She sat up, grabbing her pack before the ground disappeared beneath her, and she went tumbling down through various twists and turns. She managed to keep a hold on her pack, and she was now grateful that she had not unpacked it beforehand. The tumbling finally stopped, when she landed hard on a piece of wood. Kaia pushed herself up, looking around. She began to reach for her sword, until she saw a mass of hideous creatures headed for the company. Goblins.

Kaia fought against them as they grabbed her by the arms, yanking her to her feet. They shoved her and the rest of the company along wooden pathways. She attempted to find her brothers in the mass, but it was next to impossible. Despite the fact that she could not see them, she heard Kili shouting.

"Kai!"

"Kili!" She yelled, hoping he had heard it.

The goblins finally stopped shoving and pulling the company, and Kaia looked up to realize where she was. They stood in front of the goblin king, and he was uglier and more filthy than Kaia could have ever imagined.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom?" The king asked.

"Spies, thieves, assassins?"

"Dwarves, your malevolence." Said one of the goblins.

"DWARVES? Well don't just stand there! Search Them!" The King cried, as his goblins did as they were told. Kaia fought as the goblins as they tore her pack away from her. They took her sword, and several of her knives, but missing the ones in her boots.

"Kaia!" She heard her brother shout again. She felt Kili grab her arm, as he pulled her towards him. He was already next to Fili, and the two shoved her behind them, Kili not letting go of her arm.

"What are you doing in these parts?" The King asked. "Speak!"

The company stood there, silent.

"Very well, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk!" He shouted, the goblins cheering.

"Bring up the mangler, bring up the bonebreaker."

Kaia shifted, hearing such names, she knew this would not end well.

"Start with the young-" The king stopped mid sentence, his eyes falling on Kaia. She felt her heart begin to pound out of her chest, and she swore everybody in the company could hear it.

"Well, well, well!" He said. "What have we here?"

Fili quickly pushed her farther behind him, staring at the goblin king.

"A dwarf woman?" He said, grinning.

Kaia frowned behind her brothers.

"Bring her here!"

Goblins began to tear through the company, pushing through each dwarf. Fili and Kili fought against the goblins as they tried to get to their sister, but the creatures were too numerous. Soon they tore the brothers away, taking several goblins to restrain each. They shoved Kaia forward, until she stood in front of the king.

"Well, well. What a pretty face there. Wouldn't want to change that now, would we?"

One of the goblins snickered, grabbing Kaia's arm. She flinched, and suddenly Thorin stepped forward.

"Stop!"

The goblin king turned to Thorin, who now stood in front of his niece. He looked back and forth between the two, and grinned in realization.

"Thorin Oakenshield, you seem to have a soft spot for this dwarf. Is she your daughter?"

Thorin did not answer, but pushed Kaia further behind him.

"Well then," he said, as several goblins ran forward, separating Thorin and Kaia. They shoved Kaia forward again, then turned her so that she faced the company. One of the goblins grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back. He pulled out an old looking dagger, and held it to her neck.

"Now, Thorin Oakenshield, I'll ask you again. What is your company doing in these parts?"

"I will tell you nothing until you remove that dagger from her throat."

The goblin pushed the knife tighter. There was now a thin line of blood dripping down her neck. She gave a short gasp.

"Stop!" Thorin screamed in anger. He reached for her and they pulled her farther away from him. It took a mass of goblins to hold him back.

"I'm fine uncle. You don't need to tell this scum anything," Kaia hissed.

Thorin glanced at Kaia, warning her to keep quiet.

"Oh, but look! The bone breaker is here." The goblin king said happily as a crowd of goblins brought in menacing looking machines.

"Start with this one here." He said, smirking.

Kaia fought against the goblins, trying to throw them off of her as they pushed her towards one of the horrid machines.

Suddenly a cry from a goblin rang out. With the knife still against her throat, she could not turn, but she heard the goblin king's panic.

"I know that sword! It is the goblin-cleaver! The blade that sliced a thousand necks! Slash them! Beat them! Kill them!"

Kaia felt the knife leave her neck, but she was soon being beaten on by several goblins. She fought against them as much as she could, but she was outnumbered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw FIli fighting off nearly twice as many. She threw a goblin off her back, and as she did, another goblin hit her right across her face. The force knocked her over, as she managed to catch herself on her hands.

Thorin saw the goblins with knife raised above his niece, now on the ground.

"Kaia!" He shouted, attempting to run to her, but he was stopped by several goblins. They shoved him to the ground, raising another weapon above him. Suddenly a bright light shot through the goblin town, throwing the goblins away from the company.

Kaia looked up, seeing Gandalf with his sword and staff in his hands.

"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!" He shouted.

Kaia stood, running over to the pile of weapons. She quickly grabbed her pack and her knives, turning and slicing into a goblin.

"Come on, quick!" Gandalf shouted.

Kaia followed the rest of the company, trying to finding her brothers in he chaos. Gandalf led them through the town, in the middle of all the fighting. She notice the others jumping on a platform ahead of her, and she quickly followed suit. She managed to land on her feet, until the platform began to swing across a gap. She held on to a rope to as they flew across the cavern. They quickly landed on another, and they continued running again. The company was nearly out of the town when the goblin king stood in front of them once more. He quickly fell again when Gandalf cut him down. They almost thought they had their chance, when the pathway they stood on suddenly collapsed. It went sliding down the walls, and when it finally landed, Kaia was under a pile of wood.

"Well that could've been worse." Bofur said.

The thought was quickly cast aside when the goblin king's body fell and slammed down on them. Kaia grunted as she felt the air get knocked out of her. She realized she didn't have much time to escape as she saw the goblins crawling down towards them. She went wide eyed, trying to get out from underneath the wreckage. She was suddenly pulled free, and set on her feet. She looked up to see Dwalin having just pulled her out of the pile. She nodded, thanking him, but they could not spend much time doing so. Gandalf led them out of the caves and Kaia had never been so happy to see daylight. They ran down to a small clearing in the woods as Gandalf counted everyone. Kaia finally made it to the clearing, grabbing a tree as she gasped for breath. Suddenly a force slammed into her, causing her to stumble backwards.

"Kaia! Oh thank Mahal you're alright!"

Kaia nearly laughed as she hugged Kili.

"I'm fine, Kee. I'm fine."

He gently pushed her back, holding her arms length away.

"Kaia, your neck." Fili said, walking up to them.

Blood was smeared on her neck and up the side of her face, making the cut look worse than it was.

"Fili, it's fine, we-"

"Where is our hobbit?" Gandalf shouted.

Kaia and her brothers looked, trying to find the halfling.

"I'll tell you what happened." Thorin said. "Our burglar saw his chance and he took it. He is long gone."

Kaia and her brothers looked down in dismay, truly believing their hobbit was gone.

"No. He isn't." Bilbo said, stepping out from behind a tree.

Kili and Fili turned back to their sister.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Fili asked, attempting to look at the small cut on her neck.

"Fee, it's fine! We have more important things to worry about." Kaia said, pushing his hands away.

Her statement was concluded when she heard Gandalf shouting once more.

"Run! Run!"

Kaia whipped her head around, seeing several orcs and wargs headed for them. Fili quickly pushed his sister forward.

"Come on, run!" Kaia did run, following the rest of the company as they followed Gandalf.

They came to a cliffs edge. When they could go further no more they went the next logical direction; up. They climbed the trees. Kaia started climbing a tree with Fili and Kili right behind her. Grabbing the next branch, she heard a crack, and the branch snapped. She nearly fell when she felt her hood jerk and she was pulled up onto a branch. Looking to see what happened, she saw Fili next to her.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Fili said as he smiled at her.

He then started to climb once more. She looked confused until she remembered their current situation. She climbed rapidly, but with more care this time. She turned and saw the orcs and wargs were getting close.

Kaia froze when she saw a figure she had heard tales of all her life. She didn't have to ask who the pale orc was; she already knew.

"Azog." She said.

He shouted in black speech, and the wargs charged forward. As they scratched and clawed at the tree, it began to shake, nearly throwing Kaia off of it. Choosing the only other option, she jumped onto another tree as the others were doing. Soon every dwarf was on one tree, with each warg at the trunk, throwing all their weight against it.

"Kaia!" She heard Gandalf shout.

She looked up just in time to catch a burning pinecone he had thrown to her. She saw all the others also had one. She blew on the red hot parts, and it soon burst into flames. Looking up, she threw it as hard as she could at the wargs. It certainly wasn't any throwing knife, but it would do. She suddenly looked up in realization. _Throwing knives_. She quickly whipped some out, and launched them at the beasts. She then saw another warg fall, but she hadn't thrown a knife at it. She looked up, seeing Kili with his bow in hand. Smiling, she turned back to the wargs, seeing them backing away from the fire. The dwarfs laughed and cheered, but the celebration did not last long.

The tree abruptly gave out, tilting to the side. Kaia fought to hold on the tree as it continued to shake.

She managed to look up, seeing Thorin staring straight at Azog. Then, Thorin stood, stepping off the tree, and walking towards the orc. He began to run at Azog, Kaia not believing what she was seeing.

"Uncle, no!" She shouted, but it was useless.

Thorin continued to run at Azog until the warg he rode jumped, hitting Thorin in the face. He quickly stood, but was hit again, falling to the ground again. Kaia stared at the scene unfold before her, in disbelief. She heard Dwalin shouting as the warg picked up Thorin in it's mouth, throwing him across the rocks like a toy. She watched in horror as an orc slowly walked over to her uncle, raising it's sword above Thorin's head.

"UNCLE!" She screamed, sure the orc would kill him. Suddenly Bilbo slammed into the orc, knocking him over. Kaia quickly took the chance, swinging her legs so that she stood on the tree. She unsheathed her sword, pulling out her throwing swords with her other hand. The others were already doing so, running at the wargs with their weapons in hand. A battle broke out, as dwarfs fought against the wargs and orcs. Kaia threw her knives at the wargs, then pulling them out to use them again. She nearly smiled; this is what she loved. Fighting. It was in her blood and it was something that involved strength and speed, but also wisdom and strategies. Her smile was cut short, however, when a warg slammed down on her with great force. It's paws were holding both of her arms down, and she was defenseless. The warg nearly killed her when a screech sounded through the air. The warg was suddenly lifted off of Kaia, and she felt her arms grabbed by something strong. At first, she thought one of her brothers had come to her aid, but then she was in the air. She gasped, and tried to look up, just in time as she was dropped and she plummeted through the air. She thought she was done for when she landed on something… soft? She pushed herself up, and saw she was on the back of a giant eagle.

Something dropped beside her, and she involuntarily pulled out her sword.

"Kai, would you really kill me?" Kili asked.

Kaia nearly laughed as she hugged her brother. Fili soon was on the eagle as well, and they were soon away from the wargs and orcs. Kaia's smile suddenly disappeared.

"Wait, where's Uncle?" She looked around, trying to find Thorin on one of the eagles. Fili spotted him, unconscious in the claws of an eagle.

"Thorin!" He screamed, trying to wake his uncle.

Kaia simply stared at Thorin as the eagles flew them to safety. She began to think about their halfling. She hadn't liked him, she, like her uncle, thought he would run back home and leave them. But now, he had just saved Thorin, and Kaia was beginning to think that maybe he wasn't so cowardly.

After what felt like a lifetime, the eagles began to circle around a mountain. They stopped, letting each dwarf off at once. Kaia jumped off of their eagle as it landed, sprinting over to Thorin, who was now waking up. Kili and Bofur quickly helped Thorin as he stood, who immediately looked straight at Bilbo.

"You!" He shouted.

"What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed. Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? That you have no place amongst us?" He asked, Kaia staring at him in disbelief. Was her uncle truly upset with someone who just saved him?

"I have never been so wrong, in all my life." Thorin said, grabbing Bilbo in a hug. Kaia smiled, knowing that her uncle now saw Bilbo for what he was; their burglar, and their friend.

"But I am sorry I doubted you." Thorin said as he stepped back.

"No, no. I would have doubted me too." Bilbo said.

"I'm not a hero. Or a warrior. Even a burglar." He said, smiling at Gandalf.

The eagles began to fly away, as the dwarfs noticed the mountain ahead of them.

"Erebor." Kaia gasped.

"The Lonely Mountain." Gandalf declared proudly.

Thorin stared at the mountain, turning to his nephews and niece, then back to Erebor.

"Our home."

* * *

><p><strong>End of Part One<strong>

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><p><strong>OOOOH WHAT?! LONGEST CHAPTER YET! So yeah, end of part one... part two will begin hopefully very soon sometime in the week. I hope you guys had a happy Thanksgiving. and I'll see you soon! R&amp;R<br>**


	9. Saftey issues

The company stared at the mountain before them in awe. It seemed so close, and soon they would be walking through the doors they all dreamed of. Although each of them would have preferred to continue looking at the mountain, they did need to continue on.

"We need to get down from here. And camp for the night. Come on." Thorin said, still staring at the mountain. The others nodded, beginning to move to leave the hill they were on. Kaia turned to climb down the mountain when Thorin appeared in front of her.

"Kaia" He whispered, seeing the blood on her neck, and the bruise on her cheek.

"Uncle, it's alright, I'm fine." She insisted. Thorin looked at her, cocking his head.

"Thorin! We need to head down now!" Balin called to Thorin.

Thorin turned to Balin and nodded, then turned back to Kaia.

"Be careful on your way down. We need to talk when we set up camp."

Kaia nodded, and Thorin gave her shoulder a small squeeze, then left.

* * *

><p>On the way down the hill, Fili and Kili never stopped hovering over Kaia, trying to help her down the mountain. Kaia truly loved her brothers, but at the moment she wished they would just leave her alone for a single second. The company came to a deep drop just before the end of the hill, which most simply jumped off of. However, when Kaia attempted to do so, she was suddenly lifted in the air, then back on the ground by Kili.<p>

"Kee," she said frustrated "I'm fine! Stop acting like I can't even walk!"

Kili looked at his sister, concern in his eyes.

"Kai, I know you can walk, but,"

He stopped short, almost unable to keep talking.

"When the goblins took you from us.. I- I can't let that happen again. I can't let you get separated from Fili and me again."

Kaia's frustrated gaze softened, as Kili looked down.

"Kai," Fili said as he stepped forward.

"It was honestly... terrifying... Seeing them point a knife at you, threatening to kill you if we didn't tell them what they wanted to know... And when we couldn't even do anything about it..." Fili said, staring straight at her.

Kaia sighed as Kili pulled her forward, hugging her tightly. Kaia smiled slightly into Kili's chest as she felt Fili wrap his arms around her as well.

Kili finally let go, and looked over to the others, who were setting up camp.

"Here, let's go set up with the others." He said.

In just a few minutes, the camp was ready, and Bombur was making stew.

Kaia sighed and sat down, her back to a tree as she leaned her head back on the tree. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw her uncle.

"Kaia, I need to talk to you."

She stood and allowed Thorin to lead her away from company.

"What do you want to talk about because if this is about what happened in the goblin tunnels then it's just a scratch."

She involuntarily touched her neck in the place where the cut was.

"It's more than a scratch. They were going to kill you and I didn't do anything about it. I stood and watched as they brought you closer to death. Your brothers fought to get to you as much as they could and I didn't." he replied

"Uncle, I don't think.."

"No." he cut her off, "I should have done everything I could to protect you" he stopped. "maybe it would be best if you went back home"

"But Uncle..." she said, not believing what she had heard, "I cannot go back to the Blue mountains! I must go with you to reclaim our home!"

"It is dangerous and I can't imagine losing you again."

"I can handle myself, uncle. If I couldn't, I'd be dead already."

"Yes, but..."

He was cut off.

"Kaia?" Kili came into view, followed shortly by Fili.

"We heard yelling," Fili said.

"I was simply telling Kaia that it might be best if she..."

"He wants me to return home!" she yelled.

"But Uncle!" Fili and Kili said in unison.

"You can't send Kai home" Kili said.

"Why would you?" asked Fili, concerned.

"I can't imagine her being hurt again" Thorin replied.

"Neither can we" replied Kili.

"But," Fili looked at his sister, "We can't imagine being without her either"

"You invited us on this quest and I intend to finish it with you!" Kaia yelled.

"Alright!" Thorin yelled, exasperated. He stared at Fili and Kili before turning and rejoining the company, smiling to himself that they looked out for each other.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Kaia and her brothers sat next to the fire. Fili and Kili had convinced her to see Oin, but he said it only needed to be cleaned, which he did. It was becoming very dark, and soon everyone began to set up to sleep for the night. Fili and Kili once again took their usual spots on either side of their sister. Normally, Kaia would have fallen asleep instantly, but tonight she lay staring at the starry sky above her.<p>

Did Thorin really think it best to send her home? Did he think her a child? That she could not handle this quest?

She heard a twig snap then whispers. Looking around, she saw Thorin and Balin moving away from the company. Slowly, she got up and ,stepping around her brothers, followed them. When they stopped, she hide behind a nearby tree.

"What is it?" she heard Balin say.

"We need to discuss Kaia and her safety." Thorin replied.

"Is this about the cut?"

"Yes and no. I put her in danger. I need your help to make sure that doesn't happen again."

"She can do well enough on her own. She is a good fighter."

"I know that, she is one of the best in our company. It's just that our enemy sees her as the weakest. I can't have them aiming for her every time they attack."

"I know you care for her, but you must realize that if she couldn't handle that, she would be dead."

"Alright. But promise me you will help protect her if need be."

"I will, although I doubt she'll need it."

They started to walk away. Kaia quickly moved back over to Kili and Fili. Pretending to sleep, she heard them move back towards the fire. Sure that they had not seen her, she smiled to herself. Of course Thorin did not think her a child, he only cares for her. She turned onto her side and fell asleep.

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><p><strong>I know it's short, I'm sorry. We went from our longest chapter to our shortest chapter. I'm sorry. But we are working the next one right now. Hopefully it will be up in a few days. I hope you guys liked this chapter. R&amp;R <strong>


	10. A house, A bear, and A ring

**Heeeeeeeeey. So, once again, sorry for the long wait. This chapter took us a while. BTW this is a ridiculously long chapter so I hope y'all like it. Have fun!**

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><p>Kaia woke to the sun shining bright in her eyes. She nearly smiled when her eyes snapped open in realization. The sun was higher than it should be, unlike the other mornings when they woke right as the sun was coming up. She sat up, seeing Fili and kili were both gone from her side.<p>

Her head whipped around in panic, until she saw them walking over to the spot she was at. They were coming from next to the rest of the company. Fili noticed she was awake and he slightly quickened his pace as he walked towards her. He kneeled down when he reached her.

"Well, about time you were awake."

Kaia smiled and sighed "Why are we not going anywhere?"

"Uncle thought it best to take a day to rest after everything that happened, what with the Giants and goblins and orcs..." Kili said.

Rolling her eyes, she stood and made her way over to the company.

"G'morning Kaia, would you like some stew for breakfast?" Bofur asked.

"I'm fine." Kaia responded.

"You should eat. You need your strength." Thorin said, handing her a bowl.

They say eating their food and discussing where to go from there and arguing over which way was west.

They spent most of the day arguing, but also laughing and having fun just like they would back at home. Kaia sat listening, eating her stew until she heard Gandalf,

"Quiet!"

Everyone looked to him.

"What is it?"

"Orcs, I believe. We need someone to go and check."

"I'll go." Kaia quickly replied.

"No, why don't we let our burglar check?"

"But..."

"I'll do it." Bilbo piped up, seeing that an argument would resume and knowing he wouldn't want to be a part of it.

As he walked away, Kaia turned to her uncle. She had assumed after what she heard last night that Thorin would stop treating her like a child. Setting down her bowl, she stormed away and started to pick up her bedroll. The rest of the company followed suit. Fili and Kili, noticing her anger, decided to leave her alone and quietly packed their own things. Soon the camp was packed and there was almost no trace that anyone had been there.

They gathered once they saw Bilbo returning.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked.

"Too close." Bilbo replied, running to join them,"couple of leagues, no more. But that is not the worst of it."

"The wargs have picked up our scent?" Dwalin asked.

"Not yet,they will though." Bilbo responded, "but we have another problem."

"Did they see you?" asked Gandalf. "They saw you."

"No." said Bilbo impatiently.

"See? what did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse." Gandalf said, smiling. the company nodding in agreement. "Excellent burglaring material."

"Will you just listen!" Bilbo shouted, frustrated.

"I am trying to tell you there is something else out there."

"What form did it take?" Gandalf asked. "Like a bear?"

Bilbo looked at Gandalf in surprise. "Yes, but bigger, much bigger."

Bofur stared at Gandalf his eyes widened. "You knew about this beast!"

"I say we double back."

"We'll be run down by a pack of orcs." Thorin said.

"There is a house." Gandalf said. "Not far from here, where we might take refuge."

"Whose house?" Thorin asked. "Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither." Gandalf replied. "He will help us or he will kill us."

"Oh well that's just fine." Kaia said rolling her eyes.

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked, as a howl tore through the air.

"None." Gandalf said.

Thorin looked behind them, then back to Gandalf.

"Then we go to the house. Come on!" He shouted as the company began to follow Gandalf.

As soon as the dwarves had moved from their hiding spot, they knew trouble was headed their way. A warg spotted them almost as soon as they moved from behind the rocks. Kaia threw a knife at it, hitting the beast right between the eyes, killing it. The company ran through fields, spotting a fenced off house in the distance. It grew closer and closer as they ran, but soon they had another problem.

The giant bear ripped through the trees, running at them with incredible speed. Some of them had finally reached the gate, but they couldn't get inside. Kaia was one of the last to run through the gate, followed by Thorin. She ran towards the company, seeing them struggle with the door. She rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Oh are you all so dense?!" She shouted as she lifted the latch on the door. Everyone fell inside the gate, the beast still behind them. They all quickly turned, just barely closing the door before the creature could get inside.

"What is that?" Ori asked.

"That is our host." Gandalf said.

"His name is Beorn, and he is a skin changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear, sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of dwarves."

Kaia shook her head. Would this wizard ever do anything normal?

"Alright now get some sleep. All of you. You'll be safe here tonight." Kaia set her bedroll out on a pile of hay. She laid down, once again, Kili and Fili at her sides.

"This is probably the most comfortable place we've slept yet." Kili said.

Kaia smiled as she closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly.

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><p>Kili had been laying still for around five minutes until he became bored. They had all woken up late today, and this was the earliest they had ever gone to sleep. Now he lay awake, staring at the roof of the stables.<p>

He turned, seeing his little sister fast asleep next to him. He grinned, seeing a small ghost of a smile on her lips. She always did that when she slept. She looked so happy even when she was asleep. She was curled up on her side, facing him, her back pressed against Fili. Kili couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. It was a habit Kaia didn't know she had, but it was rather funny to Kili. Fili's eyes were closed, but Kili knew he wouldn't fall asleep that fast.

"Fili!" He whispered. For a moment, Kili received no response, but then Fili cracked an eye open and smiled. He slowly pushed himself up slightly, bracing himself on his elbow.

"She's already asleep." Kili said.

"I know." Fili replied, looking down at Kaia.

"She fell asleep faster than normal."

"Probably from all the running today."

"Yeah…" Kili said.

The two sat quietly for a moment, staring at their little sister.

"Fili?"

"Hm?" Fili looked at Kili.

"What do you think it would be like in Erebor?" Kili asked.

Fili smiled, looking back at Kaia again.

"I don't know, Kili. But we will see it. All of us." He replied. Fili sighed, turning to Kili once more.

"Now get some sleep. Goodnight." Fili said, laying back down.

Kili nodded, looking at Kaia again and smiling. He gently kissed her forehead, as he had done so often as a child. He laid back down, finally able to fall asleep.

Off to the side, Thorin smiled at his nephews and niece. He rolled over on his side again, trying to fall asleep.

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><p>Kaia's eyes slowly opened as she woke up. Seeing the dark in the barn, she became confused. Why was she awake in the middle of the night? She sat up slowly, careful not to wake her brothers. She looked around, not seeing much more than silhouettes of the company. She was about to go back to sleep when she saw a sudden movement in the shadows. Something was behind one of the pillars. Checking to make sure both of her brothers were asleep, Kaia carefully stood, quietly hurrying over to the spot she saw the movement. She pulled out her sword very slowly as to not make noise, and quickly turned around the pillar, her sword pointing at...<p>

"Bilbo?" She whispered, lowering her sword.

"Kaia." He said, surprised.

"Wha- what um are you doing up? You should be asleep."

"So should you." She said, quietly putting her sword back in its holster.

"Yes well I um, couldn't so I decided to just... think a bit."

Kaia scoffed and sat next to the hobbit.

"Think about what?"

Bilbo shifted a bit.

"Oh, I don't know.. Just uh... About the weather and-"

"Bilbo? What are you putting in your pocket?"

Bilbo looked at Kaia in surprise again.

"Wha- what? My pocket? Oh nothing... It's just um..."

"Bilbo!" She whispered again.

He sighed, taking out a simple gold ring.

She stared at it, confused.

"Bilbo, why were you hiding a ring?"

He sighed.

"It's unlike most rings… It…"

"Why is it different?" Kaia asked.

"It… it's almost like it speaks at times. Like it's alive and has a voice."

Kaia looked at him.

"Bilbo, what are you talking about?"

"I mean, I feel like this ring is special. I- I can't lose it."

Kaia shook her head.

"Alright Bilbo, if you think you hear rings speaking to you-"

"You don't believe me?"

He asked.

"Look."

Kaia rolled her eyes but watched as Bilbo slipped the ring on his finger. Her eyes widened when Bilbo disappeared altogether. She looked around her for a moment before looking back at the same spot Bilbo had been sitting.

"Bilbo?" She whispered.

Suddenly he reappeared in front of her, right in the same spot. Kaia continued to stare at the same spot when Bilbo spoke.

"I'm telling you, there's something special about this ring. It-"

"Have you shown this to Gandalf?" Kaia asked.

"Oh um… no, I haven't really-"

"Why not? Bilbo, this is something that Gandalf must know about."

"Yes, yes I know, but now is not the time."

"And when will it be time to tell him?" Kaia asked.

Bilbo sighed.

"I promise, as soon as Smaug is gone, I will tell Gandalf."

"It needs to be sooner than that, Bilbo."

"Kaia, we have a lot to worry about right now, and I feel like a giant, fire breathing dragon beats a ring with a few special qualities."

Kaia sighed. "Fine. But you will show him then."

Bilbo nodded. "Yes, I promise."

"Alright." Kaia said, satisfied. "I'm going back to sleep. And you should too." She said, standing.

"Oh I will, don't worry."

Kaia shook her head as she walked back to her bedroll. She laid back down, careful not to wake her brothers. She put her head down and soon was fast asleep again.

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><p>Kaia woke again to rays of light falling on her closed eyes. She opened them, looking around. She saw she was the last one awake, everyone else was next to the door. She quickly rolled up her bedroll, and hurried over to her brothers, who were peeking out the open window.<p>

"What are you two looking at?"

"The man. Beorn, I think is his name." Kili said, looking outside.

"Bilbo and Gandalf left moments ago to speak with him." Fili added.

Kaia pushed between her brothers, looking out the window herself. She saw Gandalf and Bilbo, standing in front of a tall, strong looking man.

"So what are we waiting for then?"She said

"Gandalf said to come out in small groups, so as to not startle him. He said we are to wait for a sign." Kili replied

"And what is the sign?" Kaia asked.

Suddenly Bofur whispered to Oin and Gloin,

"There it is, go, go!"

The two nodded, quickly hurrying out the door. The others watched as Beorn raised his axe at the sight of the dwarves, Gandalf trying to keep everything under control.

Bofur quickly sent out another pair, and soon Fili, Kili and Kaia were about to go as well, when Thorin stopped her.

"Kaia, wait. You will come with me." He said. Kaia looked back to her brothers, who nodded and walked outside together. Soon enough, the last of the dwarves walked out, including Thorin and Kaia.

Now that she was closer, Kaia had the chance to actually see the man. He had hair on his back, leading up onto his head. He looked far stronger than any man Kaia had ever seen. He looked angry, yet afraid at the same time. When he looked at Kaia however, his expression became more shocked, and even confused. He slowly walked over to her, Thorin tense.

He knelt down in front of her, then looked to Thorin.

"You brought a young she dwarf on your quest?" He asked.

Thorin looked at Beorn straight in the eye.

"She is my kin. She belongs no where else but by my side."

Both Kaia and Beorn looked at Thorin. Kaia could hardly believe what she heard. Beorn stood, walking into his house. Stepping back out, he looked at the dwarves.

"Come in, you should eat."

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><p>Minutes later, the dwarves sat at the table, gratefully eating the food that Beorn had given them. He spoke with them of his kind, and Kaia couldn't help but feel sorry for him when he revealed that he was the last of his kind. He soon knew their plan, and despite his hatred for dwarves, he offered them his ponies to get to the forest in time. Kaia mounted a pony, looking back as they took off. Beorn was looking at her, seeming almost upset. She turned back, urging her pony to move faster.<p>

Soon enough, they reached the edge of the forest. Gandalf explored the forest for a moment. Meanwhile, the others began setting the ponies loose, when they were stopped by Gandalf.

"Stop! Not my horse."

"You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asked, fear in his voice.

"I would not do this unless I had to." Gandalf said, mounting his horse.

Everyone looked with a mixture of emotions at Gandalf. Kaia was confused. How could their wizard be leaving them? Gandalf looked at Bilbo.

"You've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same hobbit as is the one who left the Shire."

"I was going to tell you. I..." Bilbo hesitated, "found something in the goblin tunnels."

Kaia looked at Bilbo, sure that he would tell Gandalf about the strange ring he had found.

"Found what? What did you find?"

"My courage."

"Good. That's good. you'll need it. I'll be waiting for you at the..."

Kaia stared in disbelief at Bilbo. He had promised her that he would tell Gandalf. What was so special about that ring?

"...the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me." she heard Gandalf saying.

"This is not the greenwood of old. the very air of the Forrest is heavy with illusion. it'll seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

Kaia wondered what that could mean. Was this just the wizard babbling again? Did he really mean the things he said?

"You must stay on the path. Do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again."

He rode away repeating that same warning as Thorin lead them into the forest. They followed the path. Kaia kept close watch around them, wary of the orcs that had been following them before. after hours of walking, it seemed like they were going in circles. Much of the company was complaining of needing air and their heads swimming. She finally realized what Gandalf had meant when he warned them of the forest. Suddenly, Kaia ran straight into Kili. They had stopped. She heard Thorin asking what had happened.

"What's going on? Nori? Why have we stopped?"

"The path. it's disappeared."

The rest of the company was confused. Slowly, they realized they had lost the path.

"Find it. All of you look. Look for the path!" Thorin yelled.

They started to go back the way they had come. Soon they were lost. They were walking in circles, heads turning, lost. It seemed they would never make it out. After hours of walking it felt as if she was hallucinating. Everyone seemed to be the same way. They tried to figure out which way was easy. Soon, an argument started. She watched as Kili and Fili yelled at Nori for losing the path in the first place.

"Enough!" Thorin yelled,"Quiet! All of you. we're being watched."

Kaia slowly pulled out her knives. She noticed Kili and Fili drawing their weapons as well.

A twig cracked next to Kaia, snapping her out of it. They were lost. They had wandered from the path and now they were lost. Bilbo seemed to realize it too, he was tapping his head, trying to think. Kaia turned to her brothers, seeing the pair still arguing with the others. Kaia looked up, her eyes widening.

"Trees."

She said.

Bilbo turned.

"What?"

"The trees. We need to get up there if we're ever going to get out of here."

Bilbo followed her gaze, and nodded. The two quickly scaled the tree, leaving the company arguing below. Kaia reached the top first, closing her eyes and breathing in the fresh air. She opened her eyes, and saw Bilbo was next to her. The two laughed, overjoyed to be out of the dreaded forest even for a moment. Suddenly Bilbo shouted.

"Look! It's the Lonely Mountain!"

Kaia followed to where he was pointing, and smiled.

They were so close to their home, and soon it would belong to them again. Bilbo was shouting to the others, but they didn't respond. The pair shared a glance before they decided to head back down. Reluctantly, they climbed down the trees, to find the others were no longer there. Then, Kaia noticed a strange noise from behind her.

There was a hissing sound, coming nearer and nearer. Suddenly, a hoard of giant spiders came pouring out into the clearing, attacking them. The two were outnumbered. something grabbed Kaia's leg and she felt herself be flipped upside down. She watched as she was spun up into the spiders web and then there one of the spiders threw her and all was black.

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><p><strong>What's with me and cliffhangers? Oh well, see ya soon! ;)<br>**


	11. A Woodland realm and a barrel ride

**Whoooooop! Chapter 10! yesssss. I really am enjoying this story. I hope you guys are too. This is an extremely long chapter so have fun.**

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><p>She heard a loud noise. She opened her eyes and saw spiders all around her. She watched as the rest of the company struggled helplessly to get loose from the webs. Suddenly, all the spiders scurried away. Immediately, she saw Bilbo running around, cutting the company loose. He released Kaia last and instead of letting her fall to the ground as he did the rest of the company, he sliced open the webs in a way that she could climb out of the webs more easily. She gave him a quick look of thanks before she noticed the spiders returning. She pulled out her knives. Still up in the trees, she threw knife after knife. She saw a spider coming up behind Fili and threw a knife at it, killing it. She heard a crack behind her. She turned around and suddenly there was a spider in her face. She wiped out a knife and stabbed it. It fell from the tree. She heard a yell and she looked down. The spider had landed on Bofur's arm.<p>

"Bofur!" She yelled.

She was climbing down the tree as fast as she could when she noticed the elves. Elves came from all directions, surrounding them. The company circled Kaia and Bofur. Kaia pulled Bofur to his feet. An elf came close to their group and pointed an arrow directly at Thorin.

"Do not think I won't kill you, dwarf. It would be my pleasure." The elf said. Then, turning to the rest of the company,

"Lower your weapons."

An elf-maid walked up to Kaia, motioning for Kaia to give her the weapons. Reluctantly, Kaia handed the elf her sword.

"Anything else?" The elf-maid asked.

"No." Kaia responded bluntly.

The elf looked at her skeptically and searched her. Thankfully, she didn't check her boots but she did find most of the knives she hid in her pack. She turned, hearing Kili yelling.

"Kili!" He yelled, running to help him. Kaia followed him, running towards her brother. A group of elves stopped them. Suddenly she understood how Kili and Fili felt in the goblin tunnels. She felt hopeless and lost as if she would never see her brother again. She struggled harder against the elves and for once in her life it took more to hold her back than Fili. She screamed his name.

"Kili!" Tears streaming down her face. She collapsed, knowing there was no use. The elves, however, continued to hold her back, thinking she may try to run again. After what seemed like an eternity, Kili walked towards them, seemingly unhurt, followed by the elf-maid who had searched Kaia.

"Kili!" She yelled.

The elves were caught off guard by the sudden energy and Kaia was able to run towards Kili before being stopped again. Kili tried to make his way towards Kaia and Fili but the elf-maid grabbed his arm, stopping him. Kaia glanced at Fili. She saw that Fili simply looked relieved that Kili was alive.

She decided to stop trying to get to Kili for now and follow Fili's example. She promised herself that she would get to Kili as soon as she could and hug him. They led the dwarves back through the woods. After much walking, they approached a large palace. They were led down tunnels and stairs till they were in a giant cavern. The walls of the cavern were covered in cells.

"You, Thorin Oakenshield, you come with me." An elf said, pointing at Thorin.

"Very well," he said, but seeing them place Kaia in a cell he added,"But only if you allow my niece to be in a cell with another of my company."

Kaia watched him leave as she was placed in another cell. She watched as the company was searched one last time, Kili questioning a red haired elf maiden.

"Aren't you going to search me?" He asked. "I could have anything down my trousers." He said.

Kaia rolled her eyes, and kept listening.

"Or nothing." She heard the elf maiden say.

Kaia had to hold back a laugh at this comment, smiling as the she-elf walked away. The elf maiden looked back, catching Kaia's grin. Kaia nearly hid it, but the elf smiled back at her.

Kaia turned back to see who else was in there and saw Bofur. She remembered what had happened in the woods and walked over and sat next to him.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"For what? My arm? It's nothing. It could've been worse. Anyways, it'll have time to heal since it doesn't seem like we are getting out of here anytime soon." He motioned to the others, who were trying to break out of the cells.

"I'm still sorry. If I had just been paying attention..."

"Kaia, it's not your fault. You were focused on making sure your brothers were alright. They would've done the same." Bofur said, cutting her off.

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face, realizing that they would have. Abruptly, she frowned, realizing that she would never make it to Kili.

Thorin was led down long passages until he reached the throne room. It was another giant cavern and in the middle stood a giant, ornate throne on which Thranduil was seated. When Thorin reached the Throne, Thranduil ordered the other elves to leave. Once they had gone, Thranduil stood, and circled him.

"Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand. A quest to reclaim a homeland, and slay a dragon. I myself suspect a more prosaic motive. Attempted burglary. Or something of that ilk."

The elf now stood in front of Thorin.

"You have found a way in. You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule. The King's Jewel. The Arkenstone. It is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that. There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems... of pure starlight. I offer you my help."

Thorin smiled,"I am listening."

"I will let you go... if you but return what is mine."

Thorin turned away from Thranduil,"A favor for a favor."

"You have my word. One king... to another."

I would not trust Thranduil...the great king..."he whispered, slowly growing louder."to honor his word.. should the end of all days be upon us! You!" he turned, pointing at Thranduil,"who lack all honor! I have seen how you treat your friends. we came to you once, starving, homeless... seeking your help. but you turned your back. you turned away from the suffering of my people... and the inferno that destroyed us. Imrid amrad ursal!" he yelled, fiery with anger.

"Do not talk to me if dragon fire. I know... its wrath and ruin."his face slowly showing deep scars and gashes"I have face the great serpents of the north. I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon. But he would not listen. you are just like him." he said, walking towards his throne as two guards grabbed thorin. "stay here if you will... and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf. But I can imagine you never thought your niece would see you slowly dying in a cell."

Thorin was dragged, outraged, back to the cells.

Kaia watched as Thorin was thrown into a cell.

"Did he offer you a deal?" Balin asked.

"He did. I told him he could go ishkh khakfe andu null. Him and all his kin!" Thorin responded, outraged.

"Well, that's that then. The deal was our only hope."

"Not our only hope."

Kaia remembered a missing member of their company. Bilbo. She wondered if he would risk trying to save them or leave them all for dead and head back to his home. Before he saved Thorin, she would have assumed the latter but now she wasn't sure.

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><p>Nearly an hour later, Kaia was still in the cell, leaning back against the wall. Bofur was slowly pacing the cell when an elf walked through the cells, breaking the silence. He unlocked the door to Kaia and Bofur's cell.<p>

"The King wishes to see you." He said.

Bofur started to stand, thinking that the elf had meant him.

"No. The she-dwarf." the elf said.

Bofur turned and looked at Kaia, surprised.

Kaia stood, unfazed. She was led out of the cell and towards the stairs they had come down. As she passed Thorin's cell she heard him say,

"If they try to hurt you, I will do anything to get my revenge."

She gave him slight smile and a knowing look before she was pulled along by the elf.

He led her through the halls of the palace, until they reached the King. He sat on a unique throne, looking at Kaia with a look that she couldn't quite read. She was pushed forward to be close to him as he stood.

"So," He began quietly.

"Why, may I ask are you and thirteen dwarves carrying on in my forests?"

Kaia looked at him in the eye but said nothing.

"You are stubborn." He said. "Very much so like your uncle. But I am patient. I will wait for you."

He said, sitting down again.

Kaia continued to stay silent until he stood once more.

"Perhaps you are on a quest of sorts."

Kaia shrugged. "Perhaps."

"So you do speak." He said.

Kaia stiffened. "I speak when I find it necessary."

"Then speak when I ask you this," He said "I will see if you are wiser than your stubborn Uncle."

Kaia's head shot up to look at him at that word. Thranduil smiled.

"Yes, she-dwarf. I know Thorin Oakenshield is your Uncle, you dwarf kind can not keep quiet."

Kaia was furious. How had the elf figured it out?

"Now, tell me," He continued. "I know very well of what you and your Uncle wish. To gain the arkenstone. He wishes to own the right to rule-"

"He deserves the right to rule." Kaia interrupted.

Thranduil shot her own words back at her.

"Perhaps." He said. "But I also desire gems in that mountain. White starlight captured in a small gem."

Kaia continued to stare at him.

"If you convince your uncle to return these gems to me, I will offer my armies to aid you in taking back the mountain."

Kaia looked at Thranduil with a raised eyebrow.

"What" she started, her voice low and deadly. "Makes you think that I would ask such a thing of my King?" She asked.

"You ask me to lie to my own uncle? To betray him?" Kaia shook her head. "No." She said, looking him in the eye.

"I will not do what you have asked." She said.

Thranduil attempted to conceal the rage behind his eyes.

"Then you will watch your kin die within these walls!" He shouted, the guards pulling her back to the dungeons.

* * *

><p>Kaia grunted as the elfs pulled her back to the cells.<p>

"What cell are we to put her in? They are all full!" One of them said.

"She was put in a cell with another dwarf, just throw her in and let's go." The other elf replied.

Kaia was then flung into a cell, the door shut and locked and she was left in silence. She sighed when she heard a voice behind her.

"Kai?" She turned, seeing Fili standing there, surprised.

"Fili!" She laughed, hugging her brother.

"Kai, oh thank mahal." Fili said. He put her at arms length, looking her up and down.

"Are you alright? What did they do?"

Kaia scoffed. "He offered me a deal."

At this, Balin and Thorin spoke up.

"What did he offer lass?" Balin asked

Kaia looked at Thorin through the bars.

"The same deal he offered uncle."

"And?" Thorin asked.

Kaia shrugged with a smirk.

"I said no."

Thorin smiled at his niece, while Balin sighed.

"When will I meet a Durin who is not so stubborn?" He said.

Kaia sighed, sitting on the stone in the cell.

"So what now?" She asked as Fili sat next to her.

"I honestly don't know, Kai. But we'll figure something out." He said, wrapping his arm around her.

A few hours later, the company sat in their cells, trying to think of a way to get out. Well, almost everyone.

Kili sat in his cell, tossing a stone in the air and catching it. His mother gave it to him when he was a little dwarfing. He didn't know why he brought it on the quest, but he felt like he should.

"Kili, you're going to drop that." Kaia said from her cell.

"Sure I will." Kili said, tossing it in the air again.

Soon the she-elf from earlier walked through the halls, surveying the dwarves.

She stopped in front of Kili's cell, causing him to stop tossing the stone. He shot Kaia a glance, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"The stone in your hand, what is it?" She asked.

"It is a talisman." Kili replied.

"A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed." Kili said, holding the stone up to the she-elf.

She quickly looked away, and began walking again.

"Or not." Kili stopped her. "Depending on whether or not you believe in that kind of thing, it's just a token."

Kaia watched from her cell, smiling as Kili attempted to talk to the the elf-maiden. She leaned against the wall, Fili watching the scene before them as well. Kaia watched and the stone suddenly slipped from Kili's hand, falling to the ground. Fili and Kaia held their breath, trying to hide their laughter.

"Told you…" Kaia muttered, still laughing.

Kili shot them a look before turning back to the she-elf. Kaia and Fili continued to mock the two as they talked about stars and moons. The she-elf finally walked away, leaving Kili once again glaring at his siblings. Kaia lost it and fell over laughing, Fili snickering next to her. Soon Ori broke the silence.

"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?"

A small ringing of keys caused everyone to look up.

"Not stuck in here you're not." Bilbo suddenly rounded the corner.

The company cheered at the sight of their burglar. Soon they were out of the cells, following their hobbit as he led them through the palace. They soon walked into a room with two elves sleeping at a table, each of the dwarves in disbelief.

"I don't believe it, we're in the cellars!" Kili whispered.

"You're supposed to be leading us out, not further in!" Bofur said to Bilbo.

" I know what I'm doing." Bilbo replied.

Kaia looked around, trying to be as quiet as possible. Biblo brought them to a stack of barrels, ushering them inside.

"Quickly, everyone into the barrels."

"Are you mad, they'll find us!" Dwalin whispered.

"No no, they won't, I promise, you must trust me!" Bilbo said.

The company nearly argued again before Thorin cut them off.

"Do as he says."

They all groaned, but did as they were told.

Kaia crammed herself into the uncomfortable space, but didn't complain. She listened when she heard Bilbo say,

"Hold your breath."

Kaia suddenly became frantic but did as she was told. She began to roll down an incline, causing her to become dizzy. There was a split second of a freefall until her entire body was covered in icy water. She completely forgot about holding her breath, and she tried to breathe in, but all she got was water. Her head popped back up, and she gulped in as much air as she could.

Suddenly, bright sunlight blinded her. They had made it outside. She yelled in celebration until she saw elves closing the gate. The company halted as the barrels stopped floating floating down the river. She and her brothers were in the back, trying to see what was happening up ahead. She looked up, trying to find the lever when one of the elves fell into the river. Kaia saw the thin stick coming out of his back. An Orc arrow. She looked up again, seeing several of them coming towards the river. She thought it couldn't get any worse until she saw a pale Orc, his hand missing, a mess of bent up metal in its place. Azog. Without thinking, she tried to reach into her boot to grab a knife, but the barrel made that nearly impossible. The empty space next to her caught her attention. She whipped her head around, looking for her brother. She spotted him running towards the lever.

She nearly shouted, when she realized that would only bring more attention to him, giving more of a chance that he might get hurt. Shaking the thought from her head, she reached down into her boot again. This time she managed to reach a knife in time. As Kili ran towards the lever, an Orc swung his sword, aiming for Kili. She threw a knife and stopped it right before it could hit turned in time to grab an Orc axe from FIli, swinging it at one of the creatures running towards them. She nearly laughed when a yell rung in her ears. She didn't have to look to know who it was.

"Kili!" She and Fili shouted in unison as she turned back to Kili. He was still standing, but there was now an arrow coming out of his leg just above his knee. She watched helplessly as her brother fell to the ground, trying to reach for his leg.

Azog aimed at Kili again, and all at once, three weapons flew through the air. Kaia blocked the arrow from hitting her brother, while the red haired elf-maiden from the dungeons shot an orc down. Soon, the orcs were slowly dying in number, but the company was still in danger. Kaia managed to look up in time to see Kili grab hold of the lever with just enough time to open the gate.

"No!" She shouted, holding to the rocks. Her other hand shot out to grab Kili's barrel, holding it from going down the river.

"Kili! Come on!" She yelled desperately, watching as her brother pushed himself off of the steps, falling into the barrel. He gasped as the arrow broke, leaving part of it in his leg. The current soon pulled the three down the river, along with the others.

Kaia did her best to keep her eyes on Kili, but the raging waters made that difficult. She held on as a log in front of them snapped, causing even more waves than before. They killed off several more orcs before they seemed to be gone. Soon enough, the orcs truly were out of sight, much to the company's liking.

They came across a shore, each of them pulling themselves onto the rocky land. Kaia was one of the first when she heard pained grunting behind her. She whipped around, running to her brother.

"Kili!" She shouted, grabbing his arm. She quickly helped him to the rocks where he finally collapsed onto his leg. He ripped a piece of cloth from his tunic, pressing it against the wound. He seemed in so much pain until he realized Kaia was still next to him.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." He told her.

"Kili, are you really going to try to pull that?" She scolded.

Fili sat next to her, glancing at his sister before taking the cloth from Kili.

"Here," He said, wrapping the cloth around the gash.

"On your feet" Thorin said, passing them.

Kaia looked at her uncle in disbelief. Did he really not care that Kili had been hurt?

"Kili's wounded, his leg needs binding." Bofur said.

Kaia turned her attention back to Kili, who was pushing Fili's hands away.

"Uncle says we have no time left, lets go, I'll be alright." He insisted.

"You have two minutes." Thorin said, once again walking by the siblings.

Kaia glanced at Fili before helping him wrap Kili's leg. Kili gripped on the rock, his leg burning where the arrow was. Kaia was trying to hold the cloth still when she noticed a figure behind her. Dwalin quickly armed himself with a wooden pole?, but the man shot an arrow at it. Kili raised a stone up, about to throw it, but the man knocked it out of his hand with an arrow as well.

The man raised his bow a them, "Do it again, and you're dead."

Balin quickly noticed the man had a barge, and convinced him to allow the dwarves a ride on it. As the man loaded the barrels onto the boat, Kaia walked next to Kili as he limped over to the boat. Soon enough, they were on the boat, the bargeman maneuvering the small boat through misty waters.

Kaia looked at the man again. As Balin had stated earlier, the man's coat and boots were indeed worn tremendously. The man noticed her looking at him, and looking back to the waters, he asked

"May I help you with something?"

Kaia snapped out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, no."

A the man smiled ever so slightly.

"You were thinking of a question. What did you want to know?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the water.

"I was… curious. Um, what is your name?"

The man continued to steer the boat, "Bard."

Kaia nodded awkwardly.

"And yours?" He asked.

"What?"

"What is your name?"

"Oh, Kaia."

He nodded.

The boat continued to move, the company paying Bard for the ride.

"Get into the barrels." He said after ages of silence.

The dwarves grumbled, but did as the man said. Soon, Kaia was once again crammed into the small barrel, trying to make the best of the small space. She heard Bard's footsteps as he got off of the boat, staying silent as she did.

Kaia listened to Bilbo as he narrated what was happening to the others. She payed little attention until she heard,

"He's pointing right at us!"

"The villain, he's sold us out!"

Kaia held her breath as she waited for someone to find them, when instead she heard an odd cranking noise. She looked up in time to see fish raining down on them. Kaia didn't move, but made a face at the fish. She had been fishing, and the smell never bothered her before, but being covered in them made her gag. The smell was overwhelming, but she remained still.

Soon the boat started moving again, the fish shifting around Kaia as it did. The others grunted, none of them liking being squished in a small space surrounded by fish. She heard a thud and a muffled comment from Bard when the boat stopped again. She managed to hear Bard talking to someone when footsteps came on the boat.

"... Folk in this town are struggling."

She heard Bard's voice become louder as her barrel suddenly moved. She felt the barrel be rolled and then some of the fish on top started to fall out. She held onto the sides of the barrel as best she could.

"Food is scarce." Bard continued.

"That's not my problem." She heard an odd voice say.

"And when the people hear the master is dumping fish back into the lake. When the rioting starts… Will it be your problem then?" Bard asked.

"Stop."

The odd voice said, as the barrel was rolled back again and Kaia was still once more. The voices became quiet again, when the boat began to move again.

The boat came to one final stop, when she heard thudding. She heard her brothers grunt as two more thuds sounded. The barrel lost all balance as it fell to the side, the fish falling out. She breathed in the fresh air, when she was pulled to her feet. She turned to thank Thorin, when she instead saw Bard.

"Um, thank you." She said.

Bard simply nodded with a short smile, leading off the boat. Kaia quickly hurried to Kili's side along with Fili. He pushed their hands away.

"I'm alright, it's just a s-"

"Just a scratch?" Kaia stopped him.

"Kili, we had this problem nearly a week ago. I had a simple cut and you two acted like it was the end of the world. Now you've been hit in the leg with an arrow and you expect us to believe that you're fine?"

Kili looked at her again. "Kaia, that's different-"

"No, it's not!" She said.

"You're my brother, and when I was hurt, you treated me like I was made of glass! So don't you tell me that it's different because you would be telling me a damn lie!"

She noticed the rest of the company moving and turned back to Kili.

"Well if you're sure, I suppose you can walk." Fili said

"Yes actually, I can."

Kili took a step and stumbled. Kaia and Fili each grabbed one of his arms and helped him walk. They followed Bard until a young boy came up to him.

"Da. Our house, it's being watched."

Kaia turned her head at these words, worried that at they would have nowhere to go, that Kili would not be able to heal before heading to the mountain.

"Come with me."

He lead them through a maze of small houses. Finally, he stopped causing Kaia ran to into the rest of the company. Bard turned and started talking to Thorin. Kaia tried to hear what they were talking about when Bard said to the rest of them,

"You are to go into the lake and when you reach that house," he pointed to a small shack not far off, "you swim under and only come up when you hear three knocks unless you wish to be seen and thrown behind bars."

Kaia looked at Fili. She glanced at Kili's leg and saw Fili furrough his eyebrows. She knew he was thinking the same thing. What could the lake water do to an open wound? She turned to Bard,

"Is there not another way? My brother is injured and we would prefer if the water wouldnt get in his" she glanced at Kili," scratch."

"Im fine," Kili told the bargeman, as he glared at Kaia.

"Alright" Bard said.

"Bain here,"He clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder," will meet you at the house to lead you from there."

Bard turned to walk away. Bain remained there, staring at Kaia. Kaia looked back at him but quickly returned her attention to Kili. She and Fili convinced Kili to allow them to at least add another layer of cloth on his leg. After they had made sure no water would be able to get to the 'scratch' they followed the rest of the company to the edge of the water. Reluctantly, Kili allowed them to help him into the water. Kaia followed him, moving quickly but with it drawing too much attention to herself. They started swimming towards the house. They were almost there and she turned to Kili to see if he was ok, but she didn't see him.

"Kili?"

No reply.

"Kili?" She said, starting to panic.

She whipped her head around, searching for her brother.

"KILI!"

* * *

><p><strong>Dang, Im mean im sorry. bye<br>**


	12. Those you've hurt

**HEYOOOOOOOO**. **So, it's Christmas break! YAY! Merry Christmas guys. Also, I saw the Hobbit with my co writer the other day. Long story short, I don't think I've ever cried that much. Anyway, we've written waaaayyyyyy ahead, so if you're really desperate for spoilers, you can pm me but only if you absolutely need to know something. I hope y'all like this chapter.**

* * *

><p>She saw ripples in the water and bubbles of air popping on the surface. She stared at the water, unable to comprehend what was happening. Her brother was there and now he wasn't. They were so close, he couldn't leave them now.<p>

Fili started diving under the water, looking for his brother. Kaia quickly snapped out of her daze and followed suit. She dove under the water, forcing her eyes open despite the way the icy water stung her eyes. She looked around, seeing a dark mass of hair sinking away from her. She found Kili's hand and tried to pull him up, but he was too heavy. She went up for air before diving back down. This time, she couldn't find him. She swam back up. Behind her she heard a short gasp of air and saw Thorin holding Kili slightly above the water.

"I had hoped this injury wouldn't be a burden." Thorin said, looking disappointed.

She swam towards Kili, not bothering to acknowledge what her uncle had said, just happy that Kili was alright. Seeing that Kili was unconscious, she was glad he had not heard what their uncle had said. She turned to Fili and saw that he hadn't heard as well. They pulled Kili to the house. He woke up just as they heard the knock. He looked at Kaia guiltily.

"Whats the matter?" She asked him,"besides almost drowning?"

"If I hadn't gotten hurt none if this would have happened." Kili said.

She stared at Kili, bewildered as to how he could think any of this was his fault.

"Kili, you cannot blame yourself for what happened. If it wasn't for you, we'd either be captured or dead. You did what you had to do and because of that look where we are. We have come so close to the mountain need only reach out our hand and touch it."

She starred in the direction of the mountain. Even if she couldn't see it, she knew it was there. The home she had never known. She felt as if they couldn't get there fast enough.

"Are you coming?" she heard from above.

She looked up and saw Bain above them, stretching his hand out to Kaia. She grabbed his hand and he helped her up out of the water. She gave him a small smile of thanks before turning to help Kili, but saw that Fili had already pulled him up and was helping him upstairs. She followed them. When she reached the upstairs she was handed a thin blanket by a young girl. She walked over towards Kili and wrapped her blanket around him. He looked up at her and she saw the smallest hint of gratitude before he said,

"You need this just as much as I do."

"I know." She replied.

She felt a sudden warmth on her shoulders. She looked and there was a thick blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She turned and saw Bain standing there.

"I figured you would be cold." He said.

"Thanks but you really didn't need to do that."

"I know," Bain said, echoing her word as he walked away.

She turned back to Fili and Kili and saw them looking at her.

"What?" She said.

"Well it seems like..." started Kili.

"Nothing," Fili cut him off.

Kaia stared at them, confused. Kili suddenly groaned in pain. She looked and saw that the bandages had been completely soaked through. She ripped off one of the layers as quickly as she could as Fili undid the next. As soon as the bandage was gone she looked for a cloth. She looked at the blankets on their shoulders but not wanting to ruin what had been so kindly given to them she ripped the sleeve off her shirt and started re-wrapping the wound. She saw the pain in Kili's face as she wrapped it and muttered,

"Not just a scratch, is it?"

She looked up and saw Kili shaking his head no. Her heart dropped. Kili would never admit to that unless it was really serious. She looked at Fili and saw the fear in his eyes as he stared at his brother. Once the wound was wrapped, Kili's face relaxed somewhat. She stood, turned around sat by Kili as she listened to the rest of the company talk to Bard of the dragon.

"You sound as if you were there," Bard said.

"All dwarves know the tale." Thorin replied.

"Then you should know that Girion hit the dragon. One more shot and he would have killed it." Bain piped up.

Kaia turned to Kili, confused. Their uncle had never mentioned the dragon almost being killed, or even that the men of the lake helped them at all. Kili and Fili didn't look concerned with that and just listened as Thorin asked for weapons.

Thorin turned to Balin,"Tomorrow begins the last days of Autumn."

"Durin's day falls the morning after next. We must reach the mountain before then."

"And if not? If we fail to find the hidden door before that time?" Kili asked.

"Then this quest has been for nothing," Fili responded bitterly, "All that we have gone through,"he quickly glanced at Kili's leg, "will have been for naught."

Bard came laden with weapons and dropped them in a table. The dwarves hurried towards the pile. They stared at the items.

"What is this?" Thorin asked.

"Pike hook. Made from an old harpoon."

"And this?" Kili asked, disgusted.

"A crow bill, we call it. fashioned from a smithy's hammer. It's heavy in hand, I grant, but in defense of your life, these will serve you better than none."

"We paid you for weapons! Iron forged swords and axes." Gloin said, exasperated.

"It's a joke!" Bofur said.

"You won't find better outside the city armory. All iron forged weapons are held there under lock and key." Bard said.

"Thorin, why not take what's an offer and go? I've made do with less, so have you." Balin said pulling Thorin aside.

"I say we leave now," Balin said, turning to the rest of the company.

"You're not going anywhere." Bard said.

"What did you say?" Dwalin replied.

"There are spies watching this house in probably every dock and wharf in town. You must wait till nightfall."

The dwarves looked to Thorin. He reluctantly sat down, the rest of the dwarves doing the same. Kaia sat down across from Kili. As he sat down, she saw the pain in his face. She flinched seeing her brother in this much pain as if she was feeling it herself. Knowing Kili wouldn't let her to do anything to help, she frowned. To distract herself, Kaia turned and watched as Thorin and Balin discussed what to do next in muttered tones. She tried to hear what they were saying but soon gave up and turned her attention back to her brothers.

She was surprised when instead of seeing Fili and Kili she saw Bain sitting in front of her. She turned and looked for Kili and Fili and saw that they had gone to get new cloth as blood was already seeping through the new bandage.

"Hello." Bain said.

"Hello." Kaia responded.

"What's your name? Mine's Bain."

"Kaia." she replied curtly.

"So what could dwarves be doing coming through lake town?"

Not expecting that question, Kaia looked back at him. She didn't know what to say. She had not been expecting this question.

"We are simple merchants," Fili said, coming up behind her.

"Then what is the need for the weapons?"

"These are not the safest of times."

Bain nodded. He stared at Kaia again and after another moment he stood and walked away.

"That was... strange," Kaia said, looking up at Fili.

"he just wanted an excuse to..."

He was cut off by Thorin,

"You all can see that we are in no match to fight a dragon with simple fishing tools."

Kaia wondered why he was saying this. Did he not lie to Bard? Why was he telling him about the dragon? Then, she noticed the bargeman was nowhere to be seen.

"We are to go to the city armory tonight," she heard Thorin saying.

"Get only what we need," Balin said.

"And then what?" Fili asked.

"Then we leave for the mountain." Thorin said.

The company waited for nearly an hour before they decided to leave. They gathered the few things they had left, kaia using the biggest knife she had for a temporary sword.

It was dark when they quietly walked to the door. Suddenly a voice behind them caused them all to freeze.

"Kaia?"

Kaia turned, seeing Bain.

"What are you doing? You're not supposed to go yet." He said

"We were to wait until dark, and we have. We're leaving now." Thorin said.

"Kaia, you can't leave yet. Da said you have to stay here."

Kaia looked between Bain and the company.

"I'm sorry." She said. "But this is too important to give up now, Bain."

Bain watched in disbelief as the dwarves quickly left without any further conversation.

* * *

><p>They snuck through the town until they found the armory. Seeing that the doors were guarded they hid behind a boat and made a plan. The dwarves piled on one another as a makeshift staircase. Kaia and Kili were one of the few who were allowed to climb to the window and help grab the weapons. Once they were inside they grabbed everything they could carry. Kaia saw Kili, arms full of heavy axes and swords. She walked towards him to help him.<p>

"Are you alright?" she heard Thorin ask him.

"I can manage," was Kili's reply.

"Let's just get out of here."

Kili walked towards the stairs and in the first step he fell, dropping all the weapons. Kaia watched in horror as the swords and axes flew out of his hands, one almost landing on his head. All the dwarves panicked.

"RUN!" she heard.

She ran towards Kili and tried to help him up. Because of the seriousness of the situation, Kili accepted her help and she pulled him up. They turned to run and were met by guards. One of them yanked Kaia away from Kili and put a knife to his throat. Trying to get to Kili, a guard grabbed her shoulder and stopped her. She watched as Kili looked up at Thorin, guilt showing all over his face. As Thorin looked down at Kili, Kaia saw the disappointment in his eyes, as if everything was Kili's fault.

The guards yanked the company out of the armory. They dragged them to a castle like, wooden building. There, a very fat, balding man came out, followed by a scrawny man whose voice sounded familiar.

"What is the meaning of this?" The fat man asked.

"Caught 'em stealing weapons, sire," the scrawny man said.

Kaia realized where she had heard the voice before, it was the same man who had almost caught them in the barrels. Also seeing that the fat man was the master of the town, she thought that this scrawny man was some type of assistant.

"Ah, enemies of the state, eh?"

"A bunch of mercenaries if ever there was."

"Hold your tongue," Dwalin said, "you do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal. This is Thorin. Son of Thrain. Son of Thror."

"We are the dwarves of Erebor." Thorin said,"we have come to reclaim our homeland."

Thorin walked up to the king,"I remember this town in the great days of old."

Thorin turned and talked to the town who had gathered around the company,"Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake. This was the center of all trade in the North. I will see those days returned. I will relight the late forges of the dwarves. sending wealth and riches once more through the halls of Erebor."

The whole town started cheering. Thorin turned back to the king.

"Death! that's is what you will bring upon us," Kaia turned and saw Bard making his way to them,"Dragon fire and ruin. if you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all."

"You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this, if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over."

The town cheered once again.

"All of you, listen to me. You must listen. Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the fire storm? And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a mountain king. So ridden by greed, he can not see beyond his own desire!"

"Now, Now." they turned to the king once more,"We must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget, that it was Girion, lord of Dale, your ancestor" he pointed at the bargeman,"who failed to kill the beast!"

"It's true, sire. We all know the story, arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing it's mark." Alfrid agreed.

"You have no right. No right to enter that mountain," Bard said to Thorin.

"I have the only right" he replied.

Thorin looked at the king and said,

"I speak to the master of the men of the lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people? What say you?"

"I say unto you, Welcome! Welcome, King Under the Mountain!"

The town cheered once again. As Thorin turned once again to Bard, Kili collapsed, grabbing his leg. Kaia knelt down next to him to see what had happened and noticed he wasn't wearing the bandages.

"Kili, what happened?" she asked, pointing to the wound.

"I thought I didn't need them," he replied.

Kaia got Fili's attention and he helped her lift Kili up. They followed the company into the King's house. Kaia asked one the king if he had any spare cloth.

"Why yes. Down the hall and to the left, but do make sure that you don't ruin anything." he said and walked away.

Kaia ran down and grabbed a blanket. When she returned she found Kili and Fili in one of the rooms the master had offered them, Fili standing next to one of the beds. Kaia ran over, ripping the blanket into strips. She wrapped the wound again. As she did, she saw Kili grab the bedside table so as to not scream, his knuckles white. when she was doen, his hand relaxed.

"Kili are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine," He replied.

"Do need anything? Food? Another blanket?"

"Kaia, you told us you didn't want to be treated like glass and thats exactly what your doing to me," Kili said.

A while later, they were all standing around the bed, talking.

"Kili, I think you should get some rest,"Fili said.

Kili nodded. Fili turned to Kaia,

"You too,"

Kaia instead pulled a stool from near one of the beds next to Kili and sat next to him. Fili smiled at her and left.

Once Kili had fallen asleep, Fili came in, carrying two plates of food. He set a plate in front of Kaia.

"Thanks," she said.

"You should get some sleep," Fili told her.

She stared at Kili. Fili got the message and pulled a chair up next to her.

"You should at least eat something."

She pulled the plate towards her and picked at her food, not really eating it. She continued to look at Kili.

"Do you think it was his fault?"

"What?" Fili asked through a mouthful of food.

"Do you think it was Kili's fault that we got caught. I know it turned out for the better but..."

"He should have been more careful."

"I dont know... I think I would have done the same."

"I wouldn't have. I would not try to hold more than I could handle."

She looked in silence at Kili again. After a while Fili spoke up,

"That may not be entirely true."

"What?" she said, looking back at Fili.

"I think I would have wanted to prove that I was equal to everyone else and not being able to help would kill me."

"Is this…..is this how you felt when we were in the goblin tunnels? Like you can't do anything to help no matter how hard you try?"

"Yes. I wanted so badly to tear that goblin to shreds. But I couldn't. All I could do was watch as they threatened us with your life."

She leaned over and put her head on Fili's shoulder. They stared at Kili for a while. Even when he slept, you could see the pain on his face. She heard a small snore and looked up. Fili had fallen asleep. She took her head from his shoulder and pulled his stool over towards the closest bed in case he fell. As she walked to find another unoccupied bed, she noticed a figure walking towards her. It was Thorin.

"You should be in bed, getting your rest," He said.

"I am looking for a bed now," She replied.

"There's another room down the hall."

She walked in the direction he was pointing, Thorin right behind her.

"I'm not sure Kili can make it to the mountain," He was saying.

She whipped her head around, staring at Thorin.

"Kili must come with us. You invited us on this quest and you cannot just make him stay. Especially not when we are so close."

"Alright, I will think it over," Thorin said, walking away.

Kaia watched him leave and stomped towards the room. She found an empty bed and laid down. She fell asleep thinking anout what Thorin had said. Was Kili really able to make it to the mountain?

* * *

><p>Kaia woke to Fili standing over her,<p>

"Kaia, where did you find that cloth? We need to wrap Kili's leg again."

She stood. She grabbed the strips of blanket she had made last night and walked over to where Kili was, pulling on his boots. He shook his head. As she came closer, Kili pulled his leg back onto the bed, finally accepting that she was going to wrap his leg no matter what.

When she had finished, she heard Thorin calling to the company. She helped Kili to his feet and they went down to the front of the house. As they were walking she heard Bilbo,

"You do know we're one short? Where's Bofur?"

"If he's not here we'll leave him behind."

"We'll have to, if we are to find the door before nightfall. We can risk no more delays."

The company started to load their supplies onto the boat. As Kili was just about to get on, Thorin stopped him, causing Kaia to run into Kili.

"Thanks," she said as she put her stuff on the boat.

"Not you," she heard Thorin told Kili,"We must travel with speed and you will slow us down."

Kaia turned around, watching her uncle.

"What are you talking about? I'm coming with you"

"No," he said, continuing to load the boat.

The life drained from Kili's face.

"I'm going to be there when that door is opened. When we first look upon the halls of our fathers..."

"Kili." Thorin said, cutting Kili off,"Stay here. Rest. Join us when you are healed."

Kaia scoffed angrily, "How dare you." Thorin turned to her. "You invited us here, to seek out our home and claim it as ours. You asked us to join you on this quest because you knew how important it is to us, and now you're saying he cannot join the rest of us?" She asked, her voice rising. "I thought you cared about us, but I can see that I was wrong and don't you lie to me; you wouldn't give a damn if he didn't heal."

A crack sounded through the air, Kaia stumbled back, her cheek hot with pain. Thorin stared at Kaia in shock. She looked up at her uncle with watery eyes, turning to leave. Thorin grabbed her wrist, trying to stop her.

"Kaia-" He said quietly, but Kaia would not hear him. She gave him one last look of betrayal and ripped out of his grip.

She half walked- half ran to Kili, sitting next to him. As she did, she buried her face in his chest, her shoulders shaking. Kili wrapped his arm around her, glaring at Thorin as his sister hid her face in his chest.

"I'll stay with them. My duty lies with the wounded," Oin said, glancing at Thorin as he walked passed.

"Uncle, do you not see what you have done? You have injured your own family and stripped away any hope they had left." Fili almost yelled at Thorin.

"Fili, I didnt mean for..."

"Obviously you did mean it or you would not have done it."

"Fili, I could not delay this quest any longer, even for them. One day you will be king and you will understand."

"I will never understand why you would do a thing like that." He said, pointing at Kaia.

Fili turned and started walking towards his siblings. Thorin grabbed Fili's arm,

"Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the company."

Fili turned and glared at his uncle,

"I belong with those you've hurt."

Fili yanked his arm from Thorin's grasp and went over to his siblings. Kaia was sitting next to Kili now, her eyes red but she was silent. Fili stood next to his sister, glaring at Thorin and resting his hand on her shoulder.

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><p><strong>Oh snap. So, yeah. We decided to be really evil here. anyway, I hope you guys like it, fyi in case some of you are wondering SPOILER ALERT: there will be pairing w Bain and Kaia ;)<strong>


	13. Athelas

**Hullo! Why am I updating at 12 in the morning? idk... Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter.**

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><p>"I suppose you heard all of that?"<p>

They nodded. Fili sighed,

"What I don't understand is, why?"

Kili shook his head, as confused as Fili.

Kaia hung her head, realizing that the reason was because he had told her last night. She had time to think about what she would say and all she could think of was that.

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><p>A small band of trumpets began to play. The king came up to announce their leaving. The boat was pushed off the dock. Thorin looked back, seeing both of his nephews with their arms around their sister. Kaia's head was down, but she looked up slightly as the boat left the dock. Her hair was in her face, but the red mark on her face was still very obvious. Even from the boat, Thorin could see it bruising already.<p>

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><p>Kaia lifted her head just in time to see Thorin looking at her before he turned back to the rest of the company. She turned to look at Kili and saw him cringing and grabbing the wound on his leg. She could see the color gone from his face. Kili collapsed, yelling. Fili and Kaia caught him before his head hit the ground.<p>

"He's got a fever," Fili said, looking up at Kaia, even more worried than before.

Bofur suddenly came bursting out of the crowds.

"Did you miss the boat too?" Bofur asked, smiling until he noticed their concerned faces.

He hurried over and helped them. They pulled Kili onto his feet and made their way back to the kings house.

* * *

><p>Thorin heard a yell and turned back to the dock.<p>

"Kili!" He yelled, seeing his nephew on the ground, but it was too late, they could not hear him.

He moved to the edge of the boat and watched as Bofur ran over and helped them. He wished he could be there but this quest was more important. He turned back to look at the lonely mountain and tried to forget about what could be happening to his nephews.

* * *

><p>As they reached the kings house, Bofur knocked. The kings assistant answered the door.<p>

"Dwarves are not welcomed anymore until we get the gold you promised," he said as he slammed the door in their faces.

They went from house to house, asking for shelter. Finally, they came to Bard's house. Bofur knocked on the door once again. Bard opened the door and said,

"No. I'm done with dwarves. Go away." Bard said, closing the door.

"No!" Bofur cried,"No one will help us. Kili's sick."He moved so Bard could see the death in his face."He's very sick."

"You can find help somewhere else."

Kaia moved in front of Bofur.

"Bard, please." Bard saw the red hand print on her face that was quickly turning purple as it bruised. His face slackened.

"Alright," he said, moving out of the way to let them in.

As they walked inside, Bain walked up to Kaia and asked,

"What happened?"

"Nothing," she replied.

He tilted his head, suspicious. After a moment, he walked away.

She turned to Kili, helping him to the bed Bard had allowed them to use.

Soon, Bain returned, holding two towels of snow.

"Here,"He said, handing her the towel,"It should help the bruising."

"What's the second one for?" She asked.

"Isn't your brother wounded?" He said, pointing at Kili.

"Yes, he is very ill," she replied, staring at Kili,"Thank you."

She took the bag from Bain and smiled. She walked to Kili and put the bag on his 'scratch,' completely forgetting about her cheek.

Bain handed each of them a small piece of bread, taking one for himself.

Kaia sat next to a window, looking outside. Her cheek stung terribly now, and she could feel it swelling a bit. It was still hot and the knew it was already bruising. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered Thorin's hand striking her. Even now, she could remember the anger in his eyes as he slapped her. She somewhat regretted leaving him without saying anything else.

Someone sat next to her. She turned, seeing Bard, his piece of bread in hand. He looked out the window as well, staying quiet for a while.

"Something is troubling you." He said softly.

Kaia sighed. "I'm alright." She said.

Bard turned to face Kaia.

"Are you?"

Kaia sighed again, looking down.

"Everything is going wrong. Kili's hurt, and now… Just, I can't stand seeing him in pain like this."

Bard nodded, knowing that wasn't all.

"If you don't mind my asking, how did this happen?" He asked, gesturing to her cheek.

Kaia gulped, not wanting to tell Bard what happened. At the same time, she felt as though if she didn't talk about this, she might explode.

"Um, it-" She stuttered. "At the dock, Thorin… I… said something I shouldn't have because he… he had decided to um...to leave Kili here because of his wound… and," She paused, taking a deep breath," He snapped. He hit me."

Bard stared at Kaia in disbelief.

"Kaia, he-"

"It doesn't matter." She said quickly, walking over to her brothers.

Kili started yelling, causing Kaia to jump.

Kaia glanced at the wound. The arrow was still there, surrounded by black and blood.

"Oin, nothing is going to help unless that arrow is out."

"You're right lass, but it will be difficult. My hands are not as strong as they once were."

Kaia looked at the arrow again.

"But mine are." She said quietly. "I'll pull it out. What do I need to do first?"

Bard came over, and, looking at the wound, said,

"All you need is hot water and it should come out quickly."

Bofur went to get a bowl of hot water as Oin said to Kaia,

"I am going to look for some herbs."

Kaia nodded and stood by Kili. He was thrashing around because if the pain so she held his leg down. Bofur came over with the water and Kaia quickly grabbed the bowl. She poured it on the wound and cringed at the sound of it boiling on his skin. The flesh around the arrow loosened and she pulled it out. Kili screamed in agony. The arrow had cut the wound bigger when she had pulled it out. Oin came back empty handed, he saw the arrow in Kaia's hand and nodded. He felt Kili's head.

"I need herbs, something to bring down his fever," he said.

Bard started listing off the names of the herbs he had.

"They're of no use to me. Have you got any Kingsfoil?" Said Oin.

"No its a weed. We feed it to the pigs." Bard replied.

"Pigs? Weed? Right."Bofur said and pointing at Kili he added,"Don't move."

He ran off.

Kaia rolled her eyes,"Like he could," she muttered.

She turned back to Kili, who was very pale now. He attempted to hide the pain in his leg, but was simply too much.

Kaia suddenly felt the house shake and saw dust falling from the ceiling.

"Da?" The older of Bards daughters said.

"It came from the mountain," Bain said, looking out the window.

"You should leave us," Fili said, walking towards Bard,"Take your children, get out of here."

"And go where?" Bard asked, shaking his head,"There is no where to go."

"Are we going to die, Da?" His youngest daughter asked.

Kaia looked at the girl. She frowned and said,

"No. Thorin would never let that happen."

Bard stared at her. She had just told him what had happened and now she was defending him. But, she realized if he didn't care, he wouldn't have even tried to apologize, but he did and Kaia just refused to listen. Maybe she is just as stubborn as he is.

"It will kill us,"Bard said,"unless i kill it first."

He grabbed a long black arrow out of a hiding place. His children looked at the arrow, amazed as he left the house. Bain stared at him then ran after him. Kaia grabbed his shoulder,

"Where are you going?"

"After my father."

"You can't, you could get hurt. Like your father said, there's a dragon out there."

"But it's my father. I have to make sure he's ok."

He pulled away and ran out of the house.

Kaia stared after him. She was about to follow when she heard Kili again. She turned back to Kili and saw that his leg was bleeding. She grabbed everything near her and started to mop up the blood, which was difficult as there was so much of it.

"Where is Bofur with that kingsfoil?" Oin asked.

"Kaia, hand me that poker," he pointed at a piece of hot metal in the fire.

She used a towel so she wouldn't burn her hand and grabbed it. She handed it to Oin.

"What do you need this for?" She asked as he took it from her.

Fili stared at the poker, a look of absolute terror on his face.

"You don't need to do that, do you?"

"Unless you want him to bleed to death."

Kaia stared at Oin, finally understanding what would happen. She quickly sat on the bed, pulling Kili's head into her lap. She stroked his hair as Oin made sure the poker was hot enough. She took this time to really look at her brother. He was terribly pale, with a grayish tint to his skin. His eyes were screwed shut, and slightly sunken into his head. She looked back at Oin, who had the poker in hand, and nodded.

Oblivious to what was about to happen, Kili pressed his head into Kaia's hand weakly. Kaia looked at Kili, concerned. She knew he was only doing this because of the fever, he would never do this normally. She glanced at Fili, who looked equally worried.

Oin took the poker, and pressed it on the open wound. Kili screamed in pain. Kaia saw flesh bubbling and heard the crackle and pop of the skin burning. When Oin pulled it away, it was no longer bleeding but his skin was black and charred. She noticed Kili still a screaming. It broke her heart to hear it. She couldn't stand it anymore. She straightened and walked outside. She saw a small rock on the ground. She picked it up and hurled it as far off as she could, cursing under her breath. She rested her elbows on the railing of the porch, holding her head in her hands. She didn't cry, but she stared at the wood for a while.

"That bad, huh?" She heard a voice.

Kaia looked up, seeing Bain.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you." She said.

"You didn't." He responded

He walked over to where she was standing, and stood next to her, resting his arms on the railing as well.

"I'm sorry. For everything that's happened to you and your family." He said.

"It's not your fault." She said, glancing at him.

"Maybe not, but I can still be sorry for you."

"You don't need to be." Kaia said, smiling ever so slightly.

Kili's screams became even louder, Kaia looked back at the door.

"He'll be alright. Your friend seems to know quite a bit about healing." Bain said.

Kaia nodded, but looked unsure.

"I shouldn't have left him." She said

Bain moved out of her way, gesturing for her to go back inside.

Kaia stood in silence for a while. His screaming had died down now but it still rung in her ears. She quickly walked inside, followed by Bain. As she walked towards Kili, she saw the wound. They had cleaned it now so the charred skin was gone, leaving a black shape around the wound. There was now a deep gash in his leg where the poker had melted his flesh. She looked at Fili. He was staring at the wound. When Kaia pulled up a chair, Fili looked up at her.

"That should have stopped the bleeding, but it will be infected if Bofur can not bring us the kingsfoil," Oin was saying as he washed the poker.

Kaia gasped as she looked at the missing peice of her brother. She reached and grabbed Kili's hand. His knuckles were white from gripping the table but still warm because of the fever. She grabbed the bag of snow from earlier and held it to his head, hoping that it might help. She saw Kili's face soften a little at the cold. She knew that even if it didn't help his fever, it must feel a little better.

Kaia heard a scream. They all turned and saw the older daughter strying to close the back door on an orc. More were entering from the front. Kaia pulled out her knives. She took the longest of her knives and handed it to Fili. The sisters hid under the table, screaming. Kaia threw her knives, trying to stay close to Kili. She heard a crash and turned to see an orc coming in the window behind her.

As she fought with the orc, she absentmindedly moved farther away from Kili, leaving him defenseless. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an orc moving towards Kili. She quickly stabbed the orc she was fighting, ripped the sword out, and threw it at the orc that was running after Kili. The knife hit the orc in the shoulder but he kept going.

"Kili!" She yelled.

Bain ran at the orc and hit it over the head with a stray piece of wood. The orc turned as Kaia pulled out another knife and threw it. This time, it went through his head. The orc fell and Kaia ran to Kili. She pulled out another knife, but there was no need. She saw the elf maiden who had searched her and another elf in house, slaying the orcs. One orc pulled a sword out and tried to stab the she elf but Kili ripped Kaia's knife out of her hand and stabbed it. Once it died, he collapsed, screaming again. Kaia stood, not knowing what to do. The elf maiden watched him, eyes wide.

"Tauriel." The other elf said.

She then followed the other elf, who was chasing the retreating orc pack. The she elf paused at the door and, about to leave, stopped as Bofur came with the kingsfoil. She grabbed it from him and moved back towards Kili.

"What are you doing?" Fili asked.

The she elf looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"I'm going to save him."

She turned swiftly to the smallest sister and spoke softly.

"What is your name?" She asked.

"Tilda." The little girl replied.

The she elf smiled, "Well, Tilda, I need you to do something very important. I need you to get me some water to rinse this off." She said, holding up the Kingsfoil.

Tilda nodded and ran to go get some water. She returned and the elf maiden quick rinsed the Kingsfoil in the water.

She gestured for the others to put Kili on the table as she ground the kingsfoil in her hands. Kaia helped Fili and Oin lift Kili and put him on the table. He was thrashing wildly.

"Hold him down," the elf said.

Kaia grabbed his shoulders, putting her head next to his. She watched as the elf maiden started chanting. As she pressed the kingsfoil into the wound, Kili thrashed even more wildly. Kaia gripped Kili's shoulders even tighter as she whispered comforting words in his ear.

Eventually, Bain's sisters helped hold Kili down. After she had been chanting for a while, Kili began to stop thrashing. He soon became still, staring at the elf. She soon finished and stepped away. Kaia carefully stood, as Kili had fallen asleep now.

For the first time in days, he looked peaceful as he slept. No signs of pain were on his face, and he looked relaxed. Kaia smiled, and sat down next to the window, exhausted from the previous events. The tiredness from the past few days settled in all at once, making Kaia's eyes feel immediately heavy. She leaned against the wall, letting her eyes fall shut.

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><p><strong>End of Part Two<strong>


	14. Coincidence or nah

**heyyyyy. So, im sorry I didn't update on Christmas, I meant to and then ended up really busy with family stuff. Anyways, I know this chapter has a weird name but after you read it, I think you'll understand :)**

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><p>She woke what seemed minutes later, in the same position. She looked around in panic, only to see that everything was the same. Mostly. Sigrid was picking up the tables and chairs from the orc raid, Tilda carefully picking up broken plates, throwing them outside.<p>

Kaia's shoulders relaxed, until her eyes fell on the table Kili had been lying on. He was gone. She jumped to her feet, her head whipping back and forth. She spotted him sitting in a chair, Fili standing next to him. Once again, she relaxed slightly, walking over to her brothers.

Kili was facing the opposite direction, but Fili saw her coming. He gave her a relieved smile as she came over to the two. She walked around the chair, smiling when she saw how much better Kili looked.

He was still pale, but not with the gray tint to his face like he had before. Kaia sighed, relieved as she stood next to Fili. Kili was looking to the side, not paying much attention to things around him.

"Are you alright?" Kaia asked.

"I'm fine." He said.

Kaia was about to reply when she heard Tilda scream. She whipped around, seeing the little girl staring out the window.

"It's the dragon!" She cried, pointing out the window.

Kaia rushed over to the girl, pulling her back from the window.

"Come away from there." She said as gently as possible. Even then, she looked outside herself, seeing the incredibly huge beast flying over the town.

"We need to get out of here. Now." Kaia said, pushing Tilda into Sigrid's arms.

"We can not leave without our father," Bain said.

"If you stay here, you will die. Is that what your father would want?" Tauriel answered.

"But we can't just leave everything here." Sigrid said.

Kaia looked back at the two, understanding that they at least wanted a few things from home. Kaia glanced at Fili, who looked to the sisters.

"Get what you need, quickly." He said, turning back to Kili. "You have two minutes."

The two girls parted, running to grab what they needed, as Kaia hurried back over to Kili, who was trying to stand.

"Here, brother." Fii said, trying to help Kili.

Kili, however, swatted his brother's hands away.

"I'm fine." He said harshly, forcing himself onto his feet. He swayed for a moment, but stood straight.

"I'm fine." He said again, with a slightly softer tone.

Kaia quickly raided all the kitchen knives, taking all she could to use as weapons. They weren't the daggers that Dwalin made, but they were still small enough to use.

As she shoved the knives into a small satchel, she caught Fili looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"It's better than nothing." She said, grabbing a sword she had gotten from the armory.

Fili shrugged, just as the two girls returned with bags full of their belongings.

Tauriel quickly looked outside again, hurrying back inside.

"We need to move. Now." She said.

"Alright, let's go." Kaia said, leading the way down to the boat.

They found their boat outside.

"Kil, come on,"Fili said, helping him towards it.

They piled into it along with all their stuff, Tauriel at the front. They rowed around to the front of the house when Tilda suddenly yelled in a panic.

"I forgot Tammy!"

"Who is Tammy?" Kaia asked, panicking at the thought that they had forgotten someone.

"It's her doll." Sigrid said.

Kaia rolled her eyes. It was only a doll. They were just in front of the house now, and Tilda took the chance to jump onto the pathway and run back into the house.

"Tilda!" Sigrid shouted.

Kaia looked up in time to see Smaug fly over the town again, sending a line of fire down below. To her horror, a side of the house was hit with the fire, quickly setting the rest of the house ablaze. Kaia quickly made her decision and ran back into the house after Tilda.

Sigrid tried to run after her, but Bain grabbed his sister, stopping her. Just then, flaming beam fell in front of the door, blocking it.

Inside, Kaia looked for the little girl.

"Tilda!" She shouted, her head whipping to the side.

She heard thumping in the room over, and hoping she had enough time, she hurried in, trying to see through the smoke.

Kaia rushed in the room in time to see Tilda grab a little doll off the bed, spinning around, clutching the toy to her chest.

"Alright, we need to go now, come on." She said, taking Tilda's hand.

Kaia turned, looking for the back door. Kaia pulled the girl along. She saw the flames getting closer the door. Tilda was stumbling, not able to keep up with Kaia. Kaia turned and picked Tilda up. She carried her to the door, racing the flames. She got out the door but the dock had burned. The boat was close enough now to where Kaia was able to hand Tilda to Bain. Bain grabbed his sister, pulling her tight into a hug. Kaia was about to step onto the boat, when she heard a sudden sout.

"Kaia, look out!" She looked up, seeing a flaming mass of wood falling. She jumped back as the wood fell just in front of her, pushing the boat away from the dock.

"Kaia!" Fili shouted, watching as the boat was pushed away from his little sister.

Kaia looked around, searching for a way to the boat. Seeing her only path, she quickly ran towards the edge of the dock, and dove into the water.

Any heat she had felt from the fire immediately left her as the icy water bit at her skin. She swam back to the surface, propelling herself towards the boat. When she finally reached it, she looked up, seeing a hand reaching towards her. She took it, holding on as she was pulled into the boat. Once she was safely on the boat, she saw Bain. She smiled at him when she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning her around,

"What did you think you were doing? You could have gotten hurt!" Kili said.

"But I didn't," She replied, wringing the water out of her hair. "Besides, what was i supposed to do? Let Tilda die for a stupid doll and not even try to help her?"

She turned to Tilda before Kili could reply,"Why is that doll so special anyways?"

"My mama gave it to me," Tilda replied defensively as she hugged the doll,"and she's not stupid."

"She named her Tammy because that was our mother's name,"Sigrid explained.

Kaia turned away from Tilda, looking forwards again. She silently wished she had something from her mother that she could hold on to.

"Look out!" they rammed into a boat. On it was the king and what looked like every gold or valuable thing he owned.

"My gold!" The King screamed as some it fell into the lake.

She watched as the king pushed the man off the boat. She laughed. Then, she saw something hanging down in front of the King. It caught his throat and pulled him back, choking him. There was a crash. She turned and saw Bard, standing in a hole torn through the wall of what looked like a jail. He ran off, grabbing a longbow and arrows from his burning house as he passed it. He climbed to the roof of one of the houses that was not on fire. He jumped from roof to roof until he reached the town's bell tower. He shot arrows at the dragon.

"Da!" Tilda shouted, watching her father.

Bard shot another arrow.

"He hit it! He hit the dragon!" Kili exclaimed.

"No," Tauriel muttered under her breath.

"He did it! He hit his mark! I saw!".

"His arrows can not pierce its hide. I fear nothing will."

They watched in silence as Bard shot arrow after arrow, each one bouncing off. Bain stood, grabbing a hook hanging from a post.

"Bain, what are you doing?" She asked, standing as well.

"I'm going to help my father." He said as he pushed off the boat, swinging onto another dock.

"What are you doing?" the others called, realizing what had happened.

"Leave him. We can not go back." Tauriel said

"Bain!" Kaia shouted, watching as he ran off after Bard.

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><p>Bain saw his father, shooting arrows at the beast, each one bouncing off the dragons tough hide. In front of them was a hook, hanging from one of the houses. As they reached it, he stood, grabbing it.<p>

"Bain, what are you doing?" Kaia asked.

He stopped, staring at her. In that moment, he questioned whether or not to go after his dad. He realized that if he didn't, they had no chance of survival.

"Im going to help my father." He decided, swinging across to one of the docks.

"Bain!" He heard her shout, along with his sisters.

* * *

><p>Kaia sighed worriedly, sitting down as she tried to keep an eye on Bain. Next to her, Tilda cried her brother's name several times, calling for him to come back.<p>

"It will be alright, Tilda." Kaia said gently. "He'll come back." She said, reassuring herself just as much as she was Tilda.

* * *

><p>Bain ran to the boat where he had hid the black arrow. He dug through the rope until he found the weapon. He grabbed it and ran to the bell tower, climbing the ladder once he reached it. Halfway up, he stepped up again and his foot broke through the rung. He regained his balance and looked back at the boat to see if Kaia had seen him almost fall. Seeing that she had, his cheeks turned red and he kept climbing. The tower shifted sideways and he was almost thrown off. He somehow managed to keep hold and when it stopped he took a deep breath before started climbing again. He reached the top and opened the trapdoor.<p>

"Dad!" he said, getting his father's attention.

"Bain! What are you doing here? Why didn't you leave? You were supposed to leave!"

"I came here to help you."

"No! Nothing can stop it now."

"This might." Bain said, holding up the black arrow.

His father took the arrow, staring at it.

"Thank you. Now you go back. You get out of here now."

The dragon came at them.

"Dad!"

It hit the bell tower, knocking off the top. Wreckage fell down on them. He slipped and grabbed whatever he could. He was hanging off the bell tower by one hand with the black arrow in his other.

"Bain!" his father yelled.

His father grabbed him and pulled him up. He laid there, motionless. His father pulled the arrow out of his hands.

"Who are you that would stand against me?" he heard the dragon ask.

His father grabbed his bow, ready to shoot when he noticed it was broken.

"Now that is a pity," The dragon taunted, walking towards them."What will you do now, Bowman? You are forsaken. No help will come."

The dragon slowly came closer to them.

"Is that your child?" The dragon asked, seeing Bain for the first time,"You can not save him from the fire. He will burn."

* * *

><p>"Bain!" Sigrid shouted, looking up at the tower.<p>

Kaia followed Sigrid's gaze, watching as Bain climbed up the bell tower. His foot broke a piece of wood, and Kaia's heart stopped as he nearly fell from the tower. He managed to regain his footing, and Kaia relaxed somewhat as he continued to make his way up the tower.

That moment of relief was gone in seconds, when the tower shifted to the side, nearly throwing Bain off the tower. Kaia held back a shout as she watched Bain continue up the tower.

The boat suddenly tilted, causing Kaia to look to the side, seeing the master's servant.

"What are you doing?!" She shouted.

"Getting a ride. Now help me up!" He shouted.

"Fat chance." Kaia said, shoving him off of the boat.

She heard Tilda gasp next to her as she turned, her eyes widening at what she saw.

* * *

><p>His father started shoving the remains of his bow into the sides of the bell tower. He pulled it back, checking the string. Bain was confused what he was doing until he understood that his father was making a giant bow.<p>

"Won't the arrow fall, Da?" Bain asked.

"That is why I will need your help."

His father told him to stand at the edge of the bell tower. Bain quickly realized what was happening. He did as his father told him. He knew that if they had any chance of killing the dragon, he would do anything to help. His father set the arrow on his shoulder and notched it into the string. He pulled back the arrow as far as he could.

* * *

><p>"Bain!" She screamed, unable to hold back her worry any longer. She watched as his head turned towards them for a slight second before facing his father once again. Kaia held her breath as she finally understood what was happening. Bain was going to be the bow for the arrow.<p>

* * *

><p>He started breathing heavily at the seriousness of the situation.<p>

"Stay still, son. Stay still," his father warned him.

He heard the dragon taunting his father as it came closer. Bain turned his head and looked at Kaia as Bard lined up the shot. She was staring at him and even from this distance, he could tell that she looked as terrified as he felt.

"Bain, look at me. You look at me."

He turned back to his father.

"It will be fine," His father paused and looked at the dragon,"Move a little to the left."

Bain nodded and stepped to the side.

"That's it." His father said, telling Bain to stop.

He looked at his dad as he saw him release the arrow. He gasped. He felt the air as it shot past him, then a burning pain in his cheek. The arrow had cut him. He fell to his knees, grabbing his cheek. He looked at Kaia as he realized it had cut him in the same place as her Uncle had slapped her.

"Bain!" He heard, snapping him back to reality,"Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, Da. It's just a scratch."

* * *

><p>Kaia saw as the arrow flew towards Smaug. It hit, sinking into his hide. He tried to fly away but soon fell, landing on the houses. His wing fell, nearly hitting them. His body caused a tidal wave of water to push them. She looked back at the bell tower and saw Bain, on his knees and holding his cheek. She had no time to figure out what had happened when she saw the tower tip and fall sideways. This time it hit the water hard and smashed into a thousand pieces.<p>

"Bain!" She screamed as they were pushed away from the town by the water.

* * *

><p>The dragon's body hurtled towards them, crashing into the bell. Bain felt the tower shift and shake. It fell, crashing into the water. He grabbed the side of the tower and held on tight. It hit the water. He felt as if he had landed on hard ground. Immediately, he knew his ribs were bruised. He felt himself be pulled by the current to the shore. Once he had reached shallow water, he stood, looking for his father. He found him and ran over to him. His father gave him a tight hug.<p>

"I'm sorry, Bain," His father said.

"You don't need to be. You just killed a dragon. You should be glad."

"How can I be glad when all these people are in so much need?"he motioned to the people around them,"Because of those dwarves, these people now have no homes, and many families were lost to dragon fire. And for what? For gold and gems."

"They didn't have a home either. That dragon had taken it from them. They just wanted it back," Bain said, trying to defend them.

"Well Thorin had better give us what he had promised."

"He will."

They walked through the crowd of people, trying to find his sisters. They saw them with the dwarves at the shore. They started walking to them. Bain saw Kaia searching the crowd and yelled,

"Kaia!"

* * *

><p>Soon, they had reached the shore. She got out of the boat as Bofur and Fili helped Kili out. She looked around, trying to find Bain. She couldn't see him through all of the people.<p>

"Da!" she heard the sisters screaming, looking for their father.

She tried calming herself down. He will be alright, she reassured herself. She turned and saw Kili talking with Tauriel. He handed her something, but Kaia couldn't quite see what it was.

"Kaia!" She heard.

She turned and saw Bain rushing towards them with his father right behind him.

"Bain!" She shouted, hurrying towards him. She didn't expect to be suddenly embraced in his arms, but she didn't mind it either. The she remembered what he did, and held him at arms length, looking at him.

"What were you thinking? You could've gotten yourself killed!" She shouted.

"But I didn't." He said, smirking.

"Then what is that?" She motioned to his cheek.

"Oh it's nothing. It's just a scratch."

"You idiot." She said, as he hugged her once more.

They had walked back to the group. They were now packing their supplies.

"Kai, come on, we're leaving." Fili said.

Kaia nodded, turning back to Bain.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"It's fine." He said, unsure of what else to say.

Kaia nodded, following after her brothers as they readied the boat.

"I'll see you again." She said, looking over her shoulder a last time.

Bain nodded, then hurried back to help his father.

Kaia turned back to her brothers, getting into the boat. Kaia looked back, watching Bain as they sailed towards the mountain.

* * *

><p><strong>Soooo yeah. R&amp;R I hope you liked it.<br>**


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